


Between the Buttons

by v1le



Category: Rockman X | Mega Man X
Genre: M/M, references to sex implants, there are androids having sex in this so reader be warned, there's somewhat of a plot? it's mostly there as a garnish
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-05
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:21:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 34,970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27403426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/v1le/pseuds/v1le
Summary: X and Zero decide to get a new upgrade made for reploids then test it out together
Relationships: X & Zero, X/Zero (Rockman)
Comments: 23
Kudos: 39





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I got really high after midterms and was sad about the fact that I won't be able to afford a phalloplasty until I'm in my early 30's. When I got over my trip, I saw this was written. Obvious liberties were taken with how implants would work since the x series is in the future and all that crud. For anyone curious, this takes place somewhere between x7 and Command Mission

The mission had been an easy one, Axl had been free to wander the wasteland while X and Zero trailed behind. It was one of their recent missions since Sigma had been defeated where they were an official ‘team’, X still having his reservations about Axl becoming a hunter but nevertheless relenting when the young reploid proved himself on more than a handful of occasions. 

When he got the official paperwork over with, Axl was practically yelling it to everyone who would listen that he was a legitimate member of the Maverick Hunters. It warmed X’s heart when he realized they were essentially the supplement family for the reploid since his departure from Red Alert, Red being his former father figure. The blue android had felt a tightness in his throat seeing how the reason Axl felt so at home with Zero was because the red android was so similar to Red in terms of fighting style and temperament.

There wasn’t any action going on in this scouting operation, giving some free time for said red hunter to look around his surroundings before glancing over at X. The silence between them was pleasant, Zero feeling comfortable running by his side like the old days. There had been a gap that seemed to get wider each time Sigma appeared between the two, Zero knew he had been especially cold for sometime but they had been too busy fighting off mavericks to pay much attention to it. There was also the fact that he was still recovering from their previous encounters with the infamous maverick among their other baggage. 

X tried his best to cover up whatever hurt he felt from the other’s lack of emotional availability. Zero almost locking himself into hibernation without so much as talking to him first was a sore spot he kept hidden behind his commander position obligations during his hunter retirement. They threw themselves into their respective work, not realizing how the distance had practically become a chasm.

It was hard for the other reploids they worked with not to notice the change in their dynamic. The usually warm exchanges and playful banter had been replaced with detached reports of hunter missions and cordial greetings. 

Least, that was how it had been going until Axl came along. The young vigilante had managed to spring X out of his retirement, seeming to reignite the hunter’s drive to fight for the greater good. 

Zero was already feeling his own motivation to fight returning thanks to Axl’s presence, but when he first saw the last minute message letting them know X would be joining them while they hunted the Red Alert Mavericks…

No one could tell that the red android was overjoyed, but he did pull X aside later when they were alone.

‘I’m glad you’re back, X.’

‘I didn’t have much of a choice...it wasn’t fair to leave you with the kid.’

‘That didn’t seem to bother you before when I was doing it alone.’

‘...’

X looked down with what could only be called shame, Zero regretting his blunt word choice. He hadn’t meant to hurt the other’s feelings, trying to apologize by pulling the other in for a kiss. If spending time together had become less of a regular occurrence, the romantic aspect of their relationship had all but died. It seemed X was happy about the move in that moment, melting into it and wrapping his arms around Zero’s neck.

Since then, their relationship seemed to revive as well. They were in a time of peace, only one or two small maverick activities had been reported. It was giving the hunters spare time to revisit activities they used to enjoy together. Axl had no issue vocalizing his love for watching their spars, saying it was incredible how well they knew each other’s movements. 

Zero had to laugh at that, the kid had no idea. He was a fun addition when they were hanging out, the red android taking too much pleasure in watching X’s reaction to Axl’s naivety. He wouldn’t point out the irony of it when X would get annoyed at the younger reploid’s eagerness, primarily since there were a couple of lines Axl would say that echoed X’s own rookie days. 

Among other benefits to the breaks between Sigma’s appearance, there was also the improvement of living. Reploids were rebuilding bases into living facilities or places of entertainment, researchers were finding ways to create products that would make life more enjoyable. Upgrades including the type of ‘food’ reploids could eat were among them, Axl eagerly jumping at an opportunity that sparked his interest and forcing X and Zero to accompany him on his restaurant adventures or to the movies. 

There had been one that was particularly entertaining since it involved a hero with a design no doubt based off of X, Axl yelling his excitement during the action scenes while making a mess of his popcorn. X tried not to huff everytime the protagonist made arrogant remarks or seemed to enjoy the violence, commenting that those types of reploids who enjoyed hunting too much were the ones he disliked most, especially when they were being held as the ‘ideal’ hunter.

Zero took pleasure in making the other hunter stumble for a response when he pointed out the hero of the film was similar to red android’s earlier hunter personality, making him wonder if that meant X didn’t like him anymore. Axl didn’t seem to catch that this was flirting, or if he did he didn’t show it. It appeared as though he was just happy to see his friends having a good time. 

Outside of the social setting scene being improved, there was a private research project that sparked the duo’s interest. It was something they heard about in passing from a couple of lower ranked hunters that were romantically involved, a pair of reploids discussing the possibility of mimicking how humans ‘showed love’ or relieved stress. 

Out of sheer curiosity, and because X had always wanted to experience things the way humans did, the hunters decided to get the new upgrade created by reploids for reploids. It was done with the most controlled privacy, and at separate times to avoid potential gossip. 

There was a wide range of variations that could be customized, but the one they settled on included a phallus that inside the scrotum portion contained a pump, which would fill the member with fluid into an erect state similar to that of a human's. There was a carefully crafted sensation implemented into the region, but it was tricky programming the nerve endings to react exactly like a human's version of the appendage. In terms of sensitivity, considering their armor included covering that region it was safe to assume it was at least more delicate than the ‘skin’ of their arms or legs. 

They had been waiting for the opportunity to test it out, tonight was the set date after they finished the reports for their mission. Once completed, they waved Axl goodbye and X politely declined the younger reploid’s request for a food outing, saying he was tired and wanted to go home to recharge. Axl pouted, but gave up without much of a fight. 

The duo promptly rushed over to X’s apartment when they safely confirmed the reploid was gone. 

It almost felt like their rookie days when they would sneak away from their commander’s watchful eye to spend time alone. Zero seemed to lead X, dashing quietly to their location while the blue hunter tried to fight off the nervous energy bubbling in his chest. Once they arrived, they shared a smile in preamble to jumping the other’s bones.

It was almost like a magnet pulled their limbs together. They really hadn’t had a romantic evening together in years and it seemed the long buried passion resurfaced with a vengeance. What started as tender kisses turned more desperate, hands wandering all over to stroke and explore different parts of the other’s body in ways that were common back in their early days of being romantically involved. 

X liked that he could lose one of his hands in Zero’s hair while his other traced along his side, down his hip, then lightly trailing the side of his thigh. Zero was keeping his arms around X’s waist, one of his hands comfortably on the subtle curve that led from his back to hips. Their tongues were playing and tugging at each other, X moaning when Zero moved to trail kisses down the side of his jaw then along his neck. He bit the skin there playfully, snickering when he heard the small ‘eep’ that forced its way out of X’s mouth.

It was odd remembering there were still experiences he was naive to, this being one of them. He had felt so old in his job as the commander of the hunters, even though he was by no means ancient by his mental age’s standards. He should be around 20 years at this point of his years active, but when Axl said he could act like a bitter old man sometimes, the blue android started making an effort to fight down his resentment.

He was reliving the anxiety of the first time he had intimate moments with Zero, back in those days the shorter hunter felt shy to show his affections. When it seemed that Zero was untouchable, there was an odd feeling of crossing into regulated territory once given the freedom to hold the android in his arms and kiss him tenderly. 

They were both incredibly tense the first time, X making the first move in the heat of the moment. They had just defeated a maverick from Doppler’s army, Zero showing up at the last minute to help X finish up his fight. It might have been remnants of the blue android being elated to work as partners again with Zero, but when he was rushing to his side to tell the other hunter his swordsmanship was amazing his arms seemed to pull the other by the waist while he pressed himself against the other’s mouth. When his mind cleared and he realized the gravity of his actions, he was stammering out apologies. Zero’s response was to shut him up by kissing him again, telling him it was fine. Not exactly a declaration of their undying feelings for each other, but X took it as a good sign when Zero would randomly kiss or hold him in a bear hug outside of missions. 

It wasn’t that much different now, though there were other events that dragged the two of them down and made it difficult to resume this side of their partnership. X didn’t want to push Zero for more when the other clearly had personal pain he was struggling to heal from. Their bursts of affection were few and far between, but they were still moments the blue android treasured. Currently it seemed their memories were the last thing on Zero’s mind, he was humming against what would turn into a hickey on X’s collar. 

Removing Zero’s armor would be X’s payback, he pushed the android off of himself so they could sit upright. The blue android wasn't sure what he was doing, but he was certain if not for his programming there would be no way his hands could stay steady. He felt along the android’s frame, liking the feel of his muscled arms and legs underneath. It was purely aesthetic, much as his own were, their strength came from the metal ‘bone’ structure below as well as the material their joints were made of. 

After taking off the leg and arm portions of his partner's armor, X helped Zero remove his helmet. The maverick hunter felt guilty at how satisfied it made him that he was the only person besides Zero's creator to see him without his armor and his hair untied. It was an odd selfishness he tried to mask, not that he had a huge track record of being selfish to begin with. He couldn’t help leaning over several times to peck the red android’s lips and trail kisses along his neck, stroking his legs and arms when they were exposed. Zero moaned softly in appreciation, which seemed to spur X on as he grew more bold in his actions. 

Zero raised an eyebrow at the other's enthusiasm once he felt comfortable, he was so easy to please when it came to their alone time. They weren't even at a stage that could be considered 'fucking', this was a learning experience for the both of them. Least, Zero knew he'd never personally gotten to the intimate part of a relationship like this before, he was making an educated guess on X's part. They had several heated make out sessions, but never anything beyond.

The wonder X had on his face as he removed the last bit of armor meant either Zero was the most amazing thing the hunter ever saw or this was his first time doing this to anyone. 

'It could be both...' he thought to himself smugly. There was a bit of pride in the fact that it seemed the blue android would wait for him every time he disappeared rather than move on like a normal person would.

Zero didn't make it a habit to remove his helmet, it was only a thin layer of synthetic skin covered with hair protecting the hardware below. Perhaps because his creator wanted him to appear somewhat human or it was wishful thinking to give his ‘masterpiece’ so much hair when he had so little, but it was a bit annoying to worry about cracking open the hardware if he didn't wear his helmet. It made this moment special, he was completely vulnerable in front of the robot he trusted the most.

He let the other android run a hand through his bangs, they weren't as messy as X's but they did fall into his eyes. Zero went to remove X’s helmet in reciprocation. The blue hunter’s hair was full in it's own right, it was comparable to a human’s in terms of volume. It spiked in odd angles, but was soft when Zero placed his own hand on the android's head. Feeling daring, he let his hand fall further to trail along X's neck. 

Zero went slower than his partner had when he was removing his armor, placing kisses and trailing his tongue along exposed joints and skin. X knew it was alright for himself to make sounds since the room was sound proof and he had enjoyed hearing the noises Zero made, but he still felt awkward doing so. Even though he usually had no issue with the ways he would emit human responses, in this regard his bashfulness won over his ability to give in to his other feelings. When he felt Zero humming against his thighs while removing his remaining lower half armor, he had to bite his lip to stop the small gasp that wanted to be released. 

Synthetic skin was grazed, Zero’s fingers lingering as he felt along the back of his shoulders, dipping along the groove of his back, then stopping short of his hip. X was watching Zero the whole time, noting the taller male seemed to be enjoying how slow he could go. He was absorbed as he studied X's unarmored body. They could be mistaken for human save for the discoloration in the connective sockets of their joints and the fact that their boot armor couldn't be removed without taking it off the knee socket.

When the red android pulled back to look at X in his most vulnerable state, it became more apparent that their creators had been colleagues seeing as how Zero's design underneath his own armor followed a similar standard. The only thing left covering them were their ‘boots’ and a pair of spandex shorts leaving little to the imagination. 

Most reploids during times of war didn't remove their armor in front of each other to begin with, so it was already crossing a boundary if two were to view each other in the state X and Zero were in. It started to become more common practice as reploids built relationships during times of peace, hence the demand for upgrades like the one the hunters had gotten increasing now that Sigma’s threat was gone for the time being. The last bit of shame set aside, Zero went first in removing his shorts so he was completely bare in front of his partner. X followed soon after. 

He watched Zero sit down on the bed, the new appendage had been placed in such a way that it could fool a reploid or human into thinking Zero always had it. It matched the rest of his lower half, X forgot that it was rude to stare in this instance. Zero didn't mind, opening his posture in a gesture that meant to convey it was fine for X to come closer. 

X examined Zero’s new upgrades with unveiled interest, noting that he was missing the ‘sack’ portion X had. Located beneath his appendage was a makeshift vulva, the red android deciding he would be the one to get the ‘entrance’ if they ever decided to use penetration in their experiment. X had offered to do the same, but for whatever reason it seemed his design couldn’t support the function of both appendages. 

The folds looked delicate, the phallus laying on top of it similar to the way his own would sag over his scrotum. It made the hunter wonder how the other’s member would harden since it didn’t have the fluids, but remembering that there was the option to put portions of the hardware underneath their ‘skin’, he figured there must’ve been some adjustment made to accommodate for the customization. 

X placed himself into the other's personal space, their now bare legs touching sent a thrill down his spine. They didn't need oxygen, but he could feel Zero's breath on his skin and the entire situation was making him feel tingles all over. 

Experimentally, X used one of his hands to lightly stroke the inner portions of his partner’s thighs, then using all his courage he placed a hand on the implant. It felt soft, but with enough firmness that it almost reminded him of an arm if they were to remove the 'bone' segment underneath.

Zero tried to keep himself composed, it was more sensitive than he expected. The inner legs and groin area wasn’t completely devoid of nerve endings before, but it seemed to have been amplified due to all the implementations for the appendages. It felt really good having X touch him so gently, even better when the other noticed the phallus getting harder then started to tighten his grip. 

X held it in a lax fist, swiping his thumb over the tip. Zero didn't mean to move his hips, not expecting the physical reaction to be this strong. X was surprised at that, and also at the fact that his own appendage had been hardening from watching Zero's reaction. There were several triggers for that, sexual stimulation was the only way to get it to react accordingly so as to avoid the unwanted erections humans had the displeasure of dealing with. Mental components were tricky to program, but were an addition to the current version X and Zero had gotten.

So this was turning him on; watching Zero move in time with his pumps was clearly having an effect on the blue android. It was starting to get slightly uncomfortable on his own end, he was adjusting then readjusting over and over to release some of the pressure down below. It didn't help that he was realizing he really liked the way Zero's hips and legs had been designed, watching them move because he was driving the other crazy was bringing something out in X that he didn't know was a part of his programming. 'Maybe Dr. Light gave me too many human emotions', was a passing thought.

More as a means of slowing down X's movement before they overwhelmed him, Zero shot himself forward to kiss the android. The red android placed his hands on the sides of X’s head to keep him in place, toning down his initial desperate move to kiss the other more gently and slide his tongue between the other’s lips. Moving the blue android’s hand away, Zero brought their hips together so he could grind his erection against the other robot's. X moaned, the pressure was growing in his lower region and Zero felt amazing against him.

X felt like he was being driven over the edge by the friction on his phallus, which encouraged Zero to move his hips faster. They parted lips to maneuver their bodies so they could press the sexual organs solidly, Zero raised one of X’s legs over his shoulder so he could angle his member below X’s and press upward for more friction. The smaller android tried to keep up, but he wasn't quite sure if he was doing it right. They weren't in time, both of them trying to do what felt good but unsure of themselves. Zero gave up on trying to synchronize their movements, instead settling on pulling X closer so they could grind with more force. 

X quickly moved his legs over so he could wrap them around Zero’s hips and arch his back, there was a peak to the pleasurable feeling that made him tense. He gripped Zero by the shoulders tightly while he ground his teeth, pressing his face into the crook of his neck. It ended too soon, but there were remnants of the feeling that pulsed throughout his system moments after. 

He could tell the red hunter was in a similar state, he tensed slightly after X and clawed his hands into the other’s back. He made a noise that sounded like a cross between a growl and a moan; it would forever ring in X’s mind as one of the most attractive actions the red hunter ever did. The blue android moved one of his hands in curiosity to see how long it took the phalluses to become limp, his eyes widening when he felt a moisture spread between Zero’s thighs. 

That must have been the lubrication for his internal sex organ, X had a general idea of how that worked. It could be painful for humans when they had penetrative relations, but the body was able to produce the fluid as a sign of arousal as well as means of making entrance into the delicate region less invasive. It was slick, X found himself tracing the soft skin with his fingers, not realizing how sensitive it was from the post orgasm for Zero until he heard the other moaning weakly. His blue eyes fluttered shut in a way that X could only describe as beautiful. 

It seemed to reignite X’s desire, he would use his prior knowledge of human relations to continue their session by inserting a finger into Zero’s entrance. The folds moved aside easily, X ignoring the lewd thoughts he had about how soft the skin felt and would most likely feel pleasurable if he inserted his own appendage between them. 

Zero was relieved there wasn’t any pain from X’s movement, most likely from his own arousal and the relaxed state his muscles were in from his previous orgasm. It had left the internal organ easy to enter, expanding at X’s gentle prodding. When the other maneuvered another finger inside while feeling along the inner walls of his entrance, Zero had to bite his lip to stop himself from screaming. X’s expression had brightened with curiosity and it turned Zero on further. 

It was sensitive down there, there were spots that seemed to be especially pleasurable to being brushed with the bluntness of X’s hand. The hunter found himself easing his hips up and down, seeking out X’s movements and synchronizing with the thrusts of his fingers. X watched the display, entranced by Zero’s state of arousal. When he stopped, Zero couldn’t help the frustrated growl he emitted. He gave an annoyed look at X, glancing down to see that his phallus was in its full state again.

His irritation seemed to melt away from seeing the way X was slowly being driven to his breaking point from this experiment. It was odd being a subject of another’s affection, lust was a new realm he couldn’t wrap his head around completely. What he did know was he felt pride that he was the only one X would ever look at in this way. 

“Zero...is it alright if we tried that?”

The red android had to laugh at that, they were past a reasonable point of having shame. He was a shaking mess with genitals covered in fluids from the state of arousal the blue android put him in, and yet it shouldn’t have surprised Zero that his best friend still was too dense to read what the red android wanted.

“Do you even need to ask?”

“Y-yeah, why wouldn’t I? It’s ok if you don’t want to, but I’m…”

X wasn’t sure how to say it exactly, hopeful that Zero would hear the desperation in his voice and save him the embarrassment of having to ask if he could fuck his long time friend and partner. Zero was laughing at him again, X was adorable in those moments where he would try to mask his desires and awkwardly fumble over his words. 

No matter how mature and in control he pretended to be in his commander position, Zero was happy to see the remnants of his friend in their alone time. 

“Yeah, it’s fine. I want you to fuck me, X.”

Zero pulled him close, placing his hands on the sides of X’s face to kiss him while he wrapped his legs around the other’s hips. They fell against the bed, laying with their limbs intertwined while they moved their tongues against each other. X placed his hands on the sides of Zero, stabilizing himself against the bed and positioning himself on top of the other hunter. Zero looked up at him with complete trust, something that made feelings burn in X’s chest. His member was aligned with the folds of Zero’s lower genitals, carefully easing the head inside. 

He went slow, listening intently for any pained reactions from his friend while he carefully inserted more of his member. The tightening in combination with the soft wetness of Zero’s internal sex organs was intense, it felt amazing on his phallus. His control won over the human reaction of his lust, even though he wanted to ram his member repeatedly into the other android he was composed enough to hold himself steady while Zero adjusted. 

“Zero....”

“Shhhhh....”

The red android narrowed his eyes, he was also having a hard time keeping his mind clear when there were intense feelings of pleasure. The fullness wasn’t painful at all, quite the opposite with X’s slow movements that gave the region ample time to expand and seemingly envelop more of the other’s phallus. Once it was fully inserted, Zero groaned at the sensation of being pushed to his limit. He tried to focus on breathing, his mind was quickly being overwhelmed by the sensation. 

“Zero...does it hurt?”

“Damn it...X it’s fine, don’t worry. You can move already, I’m alright.”

The hunter accented his words by thrusting up his hips, cursing since he didn’t realize how much better it would feel to move around X’s member. Zero’s response seemed to snap the remains of X’s restraint, he starting to move his hips to thrust his phallus in and out of Zero’s heat. His pace increased when he felt Zero digging his hands into his shoulders, his hips moving in time with X to maximize the sensation of being filled over and over.

“.....!”

“..............”

“.....................................”

“...............................................................................................”

“.................................................................................................................”

“....................................!!!”

“..........................................”

“............................................”

“...............................................!!!...ero!!!”

“...............................................X.........................”

“...........................................................................”

“...........................................................................”

“...........................................................................  
.........................................Z..........er....................o...............................”

“..............................................................................................................”

“..............................................................................................................”

“..............................................................................................................!!!”

X thrusted erratically while he climaxed, releasing a long held in scream when he felt Zero’s slick heat tightening around him in pulses. Zero’s orgasm had him throwing his head back, his mouth hanging open while he felt his mind going blank. 

They were both quiet for a while, locked in a tight embrace. Zero had buried X into his chest when he had his climax, one of his hands still holding the other android's head against his torso. He found he could extend the dampening pleasure by lazily moving his hips against X's, the smaller male responding by moaning against Zero’s skin weakly.

The after effects left them sluggish. X felt himself relaxing into standby mode and going limp in Zero's embrace. The taller android held him in place, Zero remained awake to make sure X was alright before eventually giving in to his own programming and dozing off. 

As he gave in to his own standby mode, he was grateful he locked the door to their apartment on the off chance Axl decided to visit while they were in this state.


	2. Chapter 2

X looked over his communicator several times, trying to fight off the temptation. The maverick of the day was defeated, it hadn’t been a difficult fight by any means to disarm the reploid. It had been a small time, a petty thief who thought he could hide out in an abandoned warehouse after stealing some maintenance materials. X was relieved that this outbreak wasn’t a lead for something bigger. They were still more or less in a period of peace. 

It was promising that he hadn’t needed to destroy the maverick, instead taken away to quarantine for studying by the scientists at H.Q. It was a strategy X was hoping to become the new routine for future hunters, though it was hard convincing the government to allow even the lowest risking mavericks to live. 

That was one of the reasons X didn’t mind being sent out to patrol this area, relaxing for the most part when there weren’t reprogrammed mechaniloids to fire at. He could handle these missions without any issues, hoping his track record would speak for itself in time.

There was another bonus to taking part in field missions that would only ever show up during bouts where Sigma or some other huge threat wasn’t active. It could be nice getting away from H.Q, there weren’t very many chances for X to take a stroll and enjoy a quiet place. This area was actually quite beautiful once he could take in the surroundings without any reprogrammed robots, it was a national forest of sorts. He was completely alone, there was a slight radiation in the region from hundreds of years ago that meant there were no humans. Presently, X’s thoughts kept drifting back to his partner who was waiting on call, keeping himself available on the off chance the blue android needed backup but not technically busy with anything. 

It was remarkably similar to their days as partners after Zero had been rebuilt. Back then, Dr. Cain would be chuckling at how the red hunter seemed to jump at X’s requests for assistance. The stakes had been different, Zero was on high alert when they were dealing with Dr. Doppler’s mavericks since they had already managed to kidnap X once before. Dr. Cain would remind Zero his upgrades could only take him so far, he still had to be careful but Zero would brush aside those comments by saying he didn’t mind falling in combat so long as X could still fight. 

After that incident had been taken care of though, X couldn’t come up with a reason to give their peers as to why Zero remained as his default back up. It was hard fighting away the rumors, though they weren’t technically wrong to think the two were more than friends behind closed doors. X looked at his boots, feeling himself blush when he remembered in Neon Tiger’s domain the red android smirking while telling X to make him proud before rushing off to let his partner handle the maverick. The forest X was currently patrolling had an eerie number of similarities to that stage...

Looking around, X was thinking he should probably return to hunter base but he felt it hard to leave. He didn’t get to let his mind wander at work and it was therapeutic, unplagued by the worries of being a leader for all the other hunters. Their planet was a beautiful one, somehow hanging on even after all the damage done by both humans and reploids. There were some animals, X tried not to worry what the radiation’s effect was on different lifeforms. He watched a bird perched on a tree, it’s vibrant colors held a red sheen that was almost metallic.

Then of course his thought process went back to his partner. Even though he was a changed android in temperament and experiences, at his core Zero was still the same and very much in need of his own relaxation. Did he ever get a chance to look around the different parts of the Earth? It was hard to tell if he even cared some days.

There was a key difference however, Zero had a lot more freedom than X since he wasn’t in a leading position anymore and now there were more ground hunters to spread out the workload. He was a senior hunter with the highest rank, but he wasn’t required to take on any diplomatic roles. While X was busy discussing plans with Alia and Signas, if there wasn’t a present threat, the red android could wander off to stand on buildings with the highest elevations to be by himself if he so chooses. 

No one said it out loud, but it was a source of relief that Zero didn't ask about his leadership status of the Special 0 unit after the Eurasia incident. He was content being X’s unofficial right hand, capable of going on missions and overseeing intel without anyone telling him what to do. Titles at that point were meaningless, there were vague congratulations and thanks for Zero’s heroic deeds then the rest was left unsaid. The rest had been tarnished permanently thanks to Sigma and Gate. 

The blue hunter could only imagine how much plagued Zero’s mind, but there was no way to make a dent at that solid wall. Zero didn’t talk about himself or how he felt anymore, but X appreciated that he was trying to be better about his less than tactful mannerisms. He managed to reserve some patience for X, something that made the blue android happy once they could have discussions together again. 

That seemed to extend to their work; whereas other hunters hated being stuck on call, Zero volunteered to take care of his partner. Axl was quick to point out the hypocrisy of that, Zero always appearing as impatient for most everything, let alone sitting still for some several hours while X was away. Zero’s reply was to ignore Axl, instead turning to let X know he was sure he wouldn’t need the red android’s help but he would still keep his schedule free if anything were to happen.

It made X’s chest flutter with his human emotions, grateful that he had gotten skilled at hiding it behind his usual stern expression. Once it was quiet in his surroundings, he could think back to the red android waiting with his receiver line open. What did he do while he was waiting? X hadn’t a clue, in his own hunting career he never was put on call duty and so wasn’t familiar with the norms. 

He wasn’t sure why that was, for whatever reason he was usually a front line hunter even when he made it clear he was fine doing desk work. When he was finally put in charge of operations not involved with the battlefield during his short lived retirement, he was kept busy with Signas overlooking reports and coming up with strategies. He never had to worry about his mind wandering.

It might have been because Zero was so versatile with fighting but disdainful of filling out documents that he wasn’t required to do the same work X did. He seemed to do fine whether they knew everything they could about a region or if there was an ambush, confronting battles without questions needed to make his own plan of action. This was by no means a situation that merited Zero leaving his post, and yet…

How easy it would be for them to enjoy the surrounding region with the comfort of no one being around to interrupt them. Just the two of them.

How many chances would they have to be alone like this? The temptation of using their new body parts had to be fought down since they were usually busy with work, then trying to avoid being too obvious with their relationship by leaving each other at the end of the day. It would be an awkward explanation to the government if they found out the leading figure for the Maverick Hunters was romantically involved with his shadow officer. 

X had read a few leftover files of how humans in romantic relationships acted, primarily because it was hard to resist when it was still so new and exciting. He was curious what else they could try out now that they had done the regular act. Unfortunately, this was true for other reploids as well, X hearing a few stories of couples being caught in the act. Signas was on high alert for weeks after that, giving stern lectures to the lower ranked hunters about protocol. X felt incredibly uncomfortable sitting behind him, taking great efforts to appear expressionless.

He shared a knowing look of panic with Zero later, they were afraid to even place a friendly hand on a shoulder or stand too close weeks after the lengthy explanation for what was appropriate conduct. Just another unprecedented hiccup when trying to program androids that replicated human emotions. At least this one was a cause for joking around for reploids and humans, X forcing himself to laugh at Alia’s joke that for all they knew someone could’ve been fucking in the locker room right then and there. 

X looked guiltily at his communicator. The android thought to himself that if he were to conveniently cut out the servers and say he needed Zero’s ‘help’, they could technically get away with it. They were in one of the rare regions with minimal technology, so less chances of any way to listen in. 

It was a stupid and selfish plan. He cursed himself for his weakness. They had only ever done ‘it’ a few times, but the android was already feeling tingles at the thought of getting to experience those sensations once more. He looked at his communicator again, carefully cutting the connection to the Hunter’s main servers so he was only able to speak with Zero. 

He would have to be discrete, there would still be some way for H.Q to listen in through Zero’s communicator so he would have to come up with an excuse later as to why he needed the android’s help. The idea of lying made him feel awful, praying that if Dr. Light or Dr. Cain were still alive and could somehow watch X, they would excuse the hope for humanity for being too human.

He swallowed, throwing all caution into the wind and connecting himself to Zero. He fought down the sinking feeling in his stomach when the red hunter was looking at him with worry. 

“X? What’s going on, what happened to your signal?”

“I need you to get down here. I’ll explain everything once you’re on location.”

“Is everything alright?”

X felt especially guilty seeing the look of concern grow on Zero’s face, eyes narrowed in intensity as he was sure the red android was preparing himself to destroy everything in his path to get to his best friend. X felt he didn’t deserve to have such an amazing partner. 

“No, this is important. I need you to get here soon.”

“X?”

“I’m breaking the connection now!”

He slammed his communicator shut, praying that his friend didn’t panic too much from X’s cryptic request. 

The android waited a full 10 minutes, failing to come up with a proper lie (and yes, this was lying, his mind was not letting him look at it any other way) that would satisfy his colleagues. 

Alia wouldn’t buy it, but if it was believable enough for the other operators then the senior hunter would let it slide. She would still glare at X with suspicion for weeks after, but at least it wouldn’t be as bad as having to own up to his actions. To do so would mean she would be required to report him to their higher ups, and then they would really be in trouble...

While his mind went down the terrifying path of potentially having to come clean, he didn’t realize Zero had arrived at his coordinates and was dashing over. He jumped in surprise when he heard the android’s voice.

“X?! Are you alright? I came over as quickly as I could, what’s going on?”

Zero couldn’t help noticing on his path over that there wasn’t any major activity. Actually, there weren’t even enemy mechaniloids left over. It seemed X had swept the place clean, adding to his confusion. Sure, he had been bored out of his mind at H.Q but he had been consumed with panic when X sent that vague message. He glared at his partner, waiting so X would have to speak first. The silence that followed after had a weight that was crushing X’s composure. 

“Uh...hi...so…”

The android’s meek reply turned Zero’s confusion into the beginning of annoyance. It wasn’t full on irritation, but now he was getting increasingly suspicious. Stupid games to get attention were expected with Axl, not his long time partner. 

“You said you would explain everything once I got here, right?”

“I---yes, I remember saying that…”

“Well?”

Zero’s arms were crossed now, his gaze hardening at the android. Rather than directly speaking to his partner, X attempted to think of the best angle to approach the subject. When the words came to him, he was able to exhale. He kept his voice steady this time thanks to his newfound calm. 

“It’s been quiet, I wondered if maybe you would have preferred coming outside instead of sitting by an open line at your desk all day.”

At that, Zero looked at X in disbelief. Then there wasn’t any threat. That meant X had called him over for nothing. He tried not to let the surge of anger that rippled through himself show, it was as gone as quickly as it had come. More prevalently, he wanted to know why his partner would go to such lengths. He kept his tone a steady monotone, meant to avoid X feeling like he was getting yelled at but somehow it made the blue android feel worse. 

“How thoughtful. You sent me a vague request for backup, causing me to worry like an idiot that maybe something had gone wrong in what should have been a routine surveillance, all so I could see it was a peaceful day? Are we going to hold hands and look at the flowers?”

X looked down at his boots, feeling memories flood back of when Zero was more of a mentor than a partner and would lecture him much like this. He even had his hands on his hips while he spoke, looking every bit like he was responsible for the blue android’s mistakes. Perhaps he still felt like that, even though X had proved they were equals many times. 

The blue hunter had gotten this far, it was already a new threshold for himself to be this daring. If he was going to take this risk, he might as well go all the way. He finally made eye contact with Zero, moving his hands to take hold of the other android’s own and bringing them together. 

He took extra care to wrap his fingers around Zero’s, the red android looking at him with wide eyes but allowing the action. The hunter was completely confused by X, somehow able to keep his voice steady enough to speak again.

“X? Are you even listening to me?”

Zero had no idea what to make of the way X kept smiling at him, seeming to close whatever gap was left between them. 

“Holding hands isn’t a bad idea, if that’s what you want. I did call you here so we could be alone…”

At that, X placed a kiss on one of Zero’s hands. He took it as a good sign that the other didn’t pull away after, looking at X with genuine curiosity in place of the irritation that had been forming before. X really liked having Zero caught off guard, the usually composed and stand off-ish android struggling to maintain a straight face stirred something in his partner. He wanted to see how far the other would let him go.

Slowly, the realization of what X was implying with the entire situation of having them out in the middle of nowhere hit Zero. He narrowed his eyes, glaring again at the hunter and pulling his hands away. The huffiness of the long haired robot didn’t make X feel guilty for whatever reason, instead he found it cute. Potentially a byproduct of his ability to process stress overloading and now he was outside the realm of reasonable thinking.

Zero grunted to clear his throat, trying to think how he could reason with his partner but finding it difficult. There was an internal struggle happening, he realized if X were to ask him outright if they could be intimate, he wouldn’t have it in himself to say no. As the thought passed his mind, he had to admit it was more than that. A pleasant fuzziness was affecting his judgement solely because of the simple affection his partner had shown seconds ago. 

“I see... I’m taking a wild guess here, but I never would’ve expected you to do something like this.”

The red android felt himself blushing, somehow allowing X to enter his personal space again to kiss his cheek when he should have been angrier. This time X’s hands went to hold Zero’s face, one of them trailing to play with his hair. He felt himself smirking when Zero attempted to keep his face expressionless, instead looking grumpy with how his frown seemed to deepen from the struggle. 

“I guess they upgraded more than just my hardware.” 

X smiled a bit at his own joke, hoping that it would break some of the tension. Zero was still frowning, he seemed to be deep in thought. X felt his partner looked perfect like this, his cheeks tinted lightly and him trying to stay serious while he begrudgingly let X have his way. His frown didn’t look so threatening anymore, it was almost inviting seeing as how the android did nothing when X was untying the string keeping his hair in place. 

He placed a hand on the back of Zero’s neck, liking the way the strands of freed blonde hair were wrapped around his fingers and pushing the other android forward so they could kiss. Zero didn’t stop him, but didn’t return the gesture with his usual intensity. When X pulled back with a sheepish smile, Zero was glaring again.

“This is why you wanted us to be alone.”

“Heh heh…”

“I just can’t believe you of all people would have lewd ideas like this.”

Zero finally broke his composure, he didn’t want to keep fighting away his desires when an opening like this wouldn’t come every day. X wasn’t put off by his swift change in tone, and certainly not backing away when Zero was practically leering at the shorter android. His mind was catching up to where X’s had been when he first realized how rare this opportunity was. The blue android found himself thinking this might be the same sensation a mouse felt right before being pounced by a cat, tingles running through his lower region. 

Zero moved faster than X’s eyes could catch, capturing his mouth with his own to kiss him properly and licking at X’s lips. He allowed the red hunter to tongue kiss him, brushing his own against Zero’s and liking the way the taller android moaned softly. It was different from the previous one, X deepening their movements and wrapping his arms around Zero’s waist. X felt all his worries melt away as he removed Zero’s helmet, playing with his hair again with one of his hands. The other was kept secure against Zero’s back, fighting away the urge to grab his hips outright. 

He didn’t think he would get this worked up having Zero alone to himself, but already he felt the hardware below reacting. It was constrained by his armor, making it slightly uncomfortable. He groaned, their kiss becoming sloppier. He knew that if he took off that piece of armor then he would really be crossing a boundary. Kissing could possibly be excused away by saying it was a heat of the moment action, but being bare out in the open and aroused meant they were taking actions for something more serious. 

X yelped when he felt a hand touching his stomach, Zero using his other to keep them both in place so they could continue kissing. X was making sounds to signify his confusion, Zero relenting and pulling away.

“I thought you could use a hand.”

“So you’re ok with all of this?”

“I wouldn’t say that exactly...but I’m not going to turn you down, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

He added emphasis by stroking the armor plate protecting X’s groin, the other couldn’t feel the gesture but watching it made him bite his lip. 

“Ok, but you need to take yours off too, I’m not doing this alone.”

“Of course, naturally.”

It took a few seconds to remove the protective wear, their spandex followed shortly after. It was odd having their upper torso covered in armor while the lower half was vulnerable, their helmets removed as well so it wasn’t completely awkward. X’s nerves went away when Zero went to stroke him between his legs again, this time the blue android being able to enjoy the action. He moved his hips up into Zero’s hand, the red android stroking him gently.

“I really can’t believe you did this...you’re so hard, too.”

Zero squeezed lightly, liking the way X gasped and shuddered. He would get his payback, not needing to let the android in his grip know he wasn’t upset with him. It was more fun to play it up like he was angry, seeing as how X was also acting to a certain degree. The sudden boldness was interesting, he was curious to see what would happen if he were to keep pushing. 

Zero moved to kiss X again, this time trailing to bite along his neck but stopping short of the move when he saw the other still had his upper under-armor covering it. He was annoyed for only a second, remembering that there were other places he could put his mouth and would probably make X happy to try out. The blue android watched curiously while Zero lowered himself to his knees, his hands lightly holding X’s hips so he was face to head with his upgrade. When he looked back up to make sure his partner was alright with the move, X was nodding his head vigorously before Zero could even vocalize the question. 

He had to laugh at that, it wasn’t what he was looking for exactly. 

“You’re going to have to do better than that, commander.”

X’s eyes went wide at that, shocked at himself for how his erection seemed to throb at the way Zero said those words. It seemed to activate something in himself, he was placing his hands on Zero’s head and guiding him so his lips were pressed against his member. When X told his partner to open his mouth, Zero followed the orders. 

It was more incredible than the research X had done had said it would be. He was trying not to be overly vocal from the sensation of his partner’s mouth wrapped around his length, but moans still managed to pass through. It made the red android grow bolder with his actions, licking and sucking the skin between his lips.

He figured since the other would turn to a trembling mess when Zero would perform certain actions on his neck and collar bone, similar principles would apply here. He experimentally nibbled and sucked along the length, pleased when he heard the chocked sounds X made when something felt particularly good. The other wasn’t pushing Zero away, actually gripping his hair tighter but looking at Zero mildly annoyed while he tried to give light protests. 

“W-wait, teeth! Watch your teeth!”

The red hunter pulled back for a moment to snicker, feeling it necessary to give a reply. 

“Huh, this part seems to like it…”

X’s response was to push Zero’s head back with much more force than last time, the other allowing the rougher movement. He was back to sucking on the length, taking note of X moving his hips more than last time. Zero helped him out by bobbing his head so he could mimic the movements they made when they were fucking, it seemed that X was getting close. The moans he was making were driving the hunter crazy, Zero realized he was getting turned on by the situation when he felt his own legs had been rubbing together. 

His partner was pulling his hair lightly, Zero moaning a bit when he realized that action was another source of arousal of all things. That seemed to egg X on, he gripped the other’s head firmly and tugged at his hair when he noticed it made Zero’s actions messier. 

Zero kept one of his hands in place to hold X’s hips steady and prevent him from pushing too much of his length into his mouth. The other slinked down to his own member, rubbing the skin between his legs. The whole region was so sensitive right now, he moaned while sucking X’s erection as he stroked his groin region. He was practically leaking, making it easy for him to stick a finger into his entrance.

He needed X, it was obvious when he could slide in two fingers with no issue and pump them in time with his head bobs on the other’s member. As much fun as it had been letting the other be in charge, there was still a reprimanding that needed to be carried out. 

He pushed X to the ground, making quick work to straddle the other’s waist. X was too shocked to complain about Zero’s movements, quickly submitting to the other android’s whims when he was smirking down at him.

“This was what you were after all along, wasn’t it?”

Zero rubbed their hips together as he spoke, X being able to only whimper with need. The soft, wet region felt so good against his member but it wasn’t enough. Why was the other being a bully at the worst time, he hadn’t been like this in years. They should’ve been too old for this type of teasing. Zero was laughing at the way the leader for their team was pouting.

“You already did enough to get us in a world of trouble, I hope you know. You’re lucky, being the hero and all...they would never fire you even after pulling a stunt like this. I guess that means I’m safe, too. So long as I can make it worth your while, right X?”

He started to grind harder against the shorter android, liking the way he fit between his legs a bit too much. X’s hands were gripping Zero’s hips and thighs, using it as leverage to press harder against the other. When he would try to angle himself so he could slip in, it seemed Zero was repositioning himself so his entrance was just out of reach. He smirked down at the shorter android, able to tell how frustrated X was getting. 

Feeling cruel, he kept himself steady just long enough that X could press the tip right at the area where the hole would be. He looked up at Zero with the question of permission hanging in the air. When the other stayed still, X took that as a sign that he was given the green light, making a frustrated sound when the other was slipping his hips at just the last second and snickering at him. X glared at his partner. 

“Zero...this isn’t fair! C-can I---? Is it ok if I--fuck! Zero!”

Zero pressed his erection flush against X’s, grinding his hips harder against the other and holding himself there. It was rougher than his usual movements, but it still felt really good. X could only look up at him helplessly, moaning weakly at the way their members were rubbing together. He was getting desperate, he had been close before and it seemed the other’s taunts were bringing his length to new levels of hard. How the other managed to ignore his desires when X could tell they were both incredibly aroused was slightly terrifying. 

“Zero?”

“I let you off the hook last time, but if you want this you’re going to have to say it clearly.”

“Why are you so mean today…”

Zero leaned down to kiss him in apology, but not about to ease up on his movements. He felt a little guilty about being this way with his partner, but seeing as how X would say it outright if he didn’t like it, Zero figured it was fine. 

“Because you’re cute when you let me have my way…and someone has to punish you for thinking you could get away with this.”

“Jeez...I guess I deserve that. I want this. Can we have sex, Zero?”

“There, was that so hard?”

Since he was already loosened up and lubricated, it was easy for Zero to press himself down on X’s member. He eased himself onto the erection, still taking care so he wouldn’t tear but it felt wonderful being penetrated. One of his hands was stabilizing himself while the other stroked his own member.

He enjoyed being on top this time, getting to dictate the pace and liking the way X had to follow his lead. The shorter android was bucking his hips up to meet Zero’s, moaning loudly as the red android rode him. His grip on the other’s hips tightened, trying to ground himself in some way but losing most of his reasoning quickly. 

Zero moved the hand on his length to give himself extra support so he could quicken his pace. The androids had been so wound up that this part of their session didn’t last long. X was moving his hips wildly, throwing his head back against the ground below while his climax spread throughout his body. Zero followed after, arching his back while he grinded against X’s member to extend the feeling. 

They were still in those moments after the event. Once he had some semblance of awareness, X noticed that his partner still wasn’t paying attention to anything. Zero was completely off guard when he was suddenly being thrown backwards so X could be on top of him. There was something exciting in getting to ‘wrestle’ Zero to the ground like that after all he put him through, especially when the other could only blink up at him. 

“W-What are you---?”

“Now it’s my turn.”

Before the red android could react, X was trailing his mouth to leave kisses and licks along his stomach. It was gentle, so Zero didn’t think anything of it until his legs were being lifted by the knees up to his chest. His private region was put on full display, his legs being spread wide. 

He watched as X lowered his head so he could trace along his member with his tongue, swirling around the head then holding it in his mouth to suck the sensitive organ. Zero was arching himself upward, helping the blue android as he dragged his mouth lower. His next stop was the internal sex organs below, licking at the skin protecting the region beneath. X buried his face into the other’s groin so he could insert his tongue between the folds. 

The blue hunter maneuvered his mouth to lick along the inner walls, wrapping his hands around Zero’s waist to keep the other steady in a hug of sorts. He wasn’t sure what to make of the taste exactly, the region was covered in the self lubrication fluid. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t something X would say he would ever seek out. The way Zero was fighting not to scream and was clawing at the ground below was the part he enjoyed the most. 

Zero tried to pull his hips higher so he could press himself up into X’s movements, but the other android held him still. He huffed in frustration, his head quickly clouding over when X’s tongue was nudging a particularly sensitive spot. This seemed to cause X to focus on that area, pressing his mouth closer so he could lick and suck in ways that made Zero feel like he was losing his mind.

He was shuddering, feeling his climax approaching again but whining when he felt X pulling away just before he reached it. He was mortified at himself for getting to such a state, the sounds of desperation while he tried to lift his hips back up to X’s mouth bringing him back to his senses. He was a combat android, a proud warrior that was currently trembling with desire on the ground and hoping the other would finish him off. 

Shock dawned over him when he saw X positioning his member to align their respective genitals. Zero was amazed to see how erect X was given that they both had climaxed once before already and all he had done was orally fuck him.

“Wait, you good to go again?”

“Yeah, are you? I figured it would be better to finish together...”

“I mean, yeah, but you might want to make it quick. I don’t know how long we’ve been here and there’s a chance they could send Axl over to check in on us.”

X cursed at that, forgetting that he had made it out like he was sending a distress call. He would need to act quickly, otherwise he was terrified of the prospect of explaining to their teammate what they were up to when he wasn’t around.

“Damn, you’re right. Um...if at any point you need me to back off a little or I’m being too rough, let me know. Are you alright, Zero?”

Zero felt something snap in his reasoning. He could admit (internally, on rare occasions out loud) that he loved X, but the way he could be so naive in spite of everything they had been through took every bit of his patience. The red hunter had lived through having his lower torso completely torn off and he’d exploded on more than one occasion. And yet the android currently between his legs was worried the addition to his hardware they had so carefully chosen not to be a size that would make sexual relations painful would be Zero’s breaking point. 

“For fuck’s sake X, I’m fine! Just go!”

Their lips met as X thrusted into Zero with more force, wanting to get them both to completion quickly. The blue android brought their hands together, wrapping his fingers around Zero’s while he thrust with all his force. Zero tried to keep the same pace, eventually giving up and simply wrapping his thighs around X’s waist and raising his hips at his own leisure. He trusted X completely, noting that the other may have been rougher this time in his movements but he was still trying to make sure that Zero felt the most pleasure. 

X seemed to have memorized the sensitive spots where his tongue had previously been harassing, dragging his length in ways that had Zero digging his fingers around X’s arms. X felt the other tightening around him in steady pulses, realizing that meant he was close to his end. He picked up his pace, wanting them to finish together. 

The heat wrapped around his member was incredible, making him wonder why he waited so much for the next opportunity to do this. As great as the other’s mouth had been; it didn’t compare to the feeling of being inside his partner. He didn’t realize he was moaning out ‘Zero’ so many times until he saw said android had been brought back to some state of self awareness to smirk up at him. Zero pulled the blue android down so they could kiss again.

X was somewhat successful in his goal, their climaxes happening seconds apart. They were screaming the other’s name, X whimpering when Zero was clawing at his back. If it weren’t for the armor still being there, he probably would’ve had some awkward wounds to explain to a Lifesaver. 

He felt the pleasant side effect of his mind being a complete blank, every part of himself relaxed thanks to the release of tension. 

‘No wonder humans liked spending so much time alone with their lovers…’ was a passing thought, though X felt weird thinking of Zero in that category. He did love Zero, but they were partners and comrades. That carried more weight. 

He let go of the other android, gently placing Zero on the ground since the other was still too out of it to realize what was happening around him.

X looked down at Zero’s face. The red android had his eyes closed, X watching the way his mouth let out breaths he didn’t technically need. He brushed some of the blonde hair out of the way, kissing his forehead. When he pulled back, the other was glaring half heartedly, making X laugh lightly. 

“Zero, are you still mad?”

“I can’t even remember where I am right now.”

The blue android laughed harder at that, Zero had an exhausted smile on his face while he pulled X in to hug him against his chest. X looked up at his face, wrapping his arms around the red hunter and thinking he looked so peaceful. X wished his partner could be this relaxed all the time, it was too rare for his liking to see the android without his usual stern expressions. Maybe he wouldn’t be so tense if they could have more opportunities like this. 

X would have to take part in more ground missions, but that was a sacrifice he was willing to make.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my life philosophy is sometimes ya just gotta run with a really stupid idea. Again, I have no idea why I add so much background for porn but here ya go, I miss Dr. Cain and Metal Gear Solid keeps influencing how I view the layout of the Maverick Hunters.
> 
> There’s prominent inspiration from x3, specifically the character switch mechanic. There are few reasons I play x3 outside of wasting 10 minutes in each stage to flip the communicator back and forth so Zero can intensely blink at X. This scenario would cross my mind more than a few times:
> 
> X: hey best buddy in the whole wide world and faithful partner in maverick hunting. could we make out real quick before I go fight this ugly catfish, I need to loosen up ^^;
> 
> Zero: >:(


	3. Chapter 3

“You’re tense, Commander…”

“Zero, please don’t make me regret this.”

“Just so we’re clear, you got this from the ruins of a library? And here I thought you would’ve gone for a nature documentary, but hey I’m sure this is more interesting.”

At that X bumped Zero’s chest with his fist, not at all aggressively but enough to warn his partner that he was pushing it. He was already feeling awkward about inviting Zero to join him in looking through their memories, he could never tell if the other was in the mood for X’s emotions. They should be comfortable at his apartment since they wouldn’t have to worry about anyone snooping, but X had never disclosed this part of his private material to his partner before. 

For now, they would look over the videos and documents. They were old remnants from humanity that weren’t in their database at work. X had his own private collection, flash drives and memory units full of files from poking around regions with Dr. Cain back when the old man was around. He thought it was innocent enough when X would look at different reading material for humans, including romantic ones. It made the old man happy that the blue android was so curious about humans and admired the different aspects of their world. When one of them included references to intimacy, that was when he gave the blue android a sideways glance while snickering. 

‘I’m not going to judge you, X, but limit your exposure. Some people aren’t so understanding towards curiosity.’

X nodded then, still not understanding his meaning. It wasn’t until Sigma was reprimanding him for humming a song from a musical about a gentleman with a colorful sweater that he realized what Dr. Cain meant. Thankfully, no one else knew about the incident and X had gotten much better at keeping his research a secret. 

This was the only other person to be exploring the material with him. It took a lot of courage, but considering Zero had enjoyed the new practices X would pull out when they were having sex then it should be easier to take this step. 

“Humans sure do like adding music to boring scenes. ”

“You’re not supposed to think about that part, it’s meant to make you feel a certain way. Besides, you looked like you enjoyed it last time we were alone and you let me play my records.”

“And whose fault is that?”

X didn’t respond to that, blushing from the lewd implication. Zero was smirking, thinking to himself that it was hilarious watching X get embarrassed when they had done so much together. Since the incident in the forest, they had tried to schedule at least once a week to have a ‘date night’ as Axl called it. Really it was designated time for whatever actions they wanted to take alone, be it the more physically tasking or simply cuddling in X’s charging station. 

When asked about how it seemed they had a rendezvous the same time each week, X would reply it was so they could spar together or come up with strategies. Axl said he wasn’t built yesterday, but he understood perfectly and respected their alone time. Thankfully they wouldn’t have to worry about him talking about that to others, he said their secret was safe even though neither androids confirmed his implications. At this point, it was more insulting than anything to deny it to Axl. 

Today was special because X was pulling out his souvenirs of going digging with Dr. Cain, the memories of the old man were bittersweet. It was ironic that the day fell on the same date as his birthday, back when the old man was looking after the androids he would say the best gift each year was being alive long enough to meet those two. X had a suspicion Zero was especially annoyed with Signas’s lecture today because there was no mention of the father of all reploids. At this point, most of their hunters would only know of Dr. Cain by name anyway, there weren’t emotional attachments like the ones X and Zero had. 

When the elder man was alive, X would still push a reminder to himself and Zero to get their friend a gift. Zero usually muttered something about human customs being useless when X would ask what he was going to get him. In spite of his grumblings, the red hunter would still be standing there with pride when the doctor would say how perfect the gift was. 

He was their friend, and one of the few people who had remembered what Sigma was like before he turned maverick. The old man was happy to help X adjust his maintenance, and he was proud to tell other scientists he knew Zero’s hardware better than the red android’s own creator at this point. He had rebuilt and repaired those androids after countless battles, never asking for anything in return and reminding them that he was proud to work with the heroes. 

There were a few old videos of the old man, some of them including when he first activated X and spent much of his time with the blue robot. Before becoming a maverick hunter, X was more or less his assistant. He would help Dr. Cain with any of his projects, all the while the old man would attempt to answer X’s numerous questions on life. When Zero came along, the doctor was the bridge bringing them together. Dr. Cain excitedly told X that this was another robot from the blue android’s time, pulling the robot by the arm so they could go meet. X didn’t realize it then that the robot he was being introduced to was also the same one that had almost shredded his commander to pieces, earning the nickname the ‘Red Ripper’…

Zero said the video where X was showing off a new batch of reploids with the old man was adorable, the hunter glaring at his partner. They had come a long way together, looking at the past reminded X that they had so much history. And it was all thanks to the old man whose legacy they were honoring. 

The video X was currently playing had been found much later, this one came from a dig that the old man invited X to go on after the first battle with Sigma. The blue hunter had been depressed, losing so many lives and his best friend had taken a heavy toll. He was dejected, throwing aside the upgrades left over from his creator because the memories were too painful. It was only because Dr. Cain wanted to rebuild Zero that he let the old man keep the buster part. 

The items they found helped distract him from his loneliness. Dr. Cain said he enjoyed a particular film and handed it to X, explaining that he watched it in college when he was taking a history course. It contained all of the flaws humans had, especially seeing as how the writers were ignorant when writing about the different groups of people but it still held educational value. X didn’t know it then, but the way the video resonated with him so strongly was most likely because the story of two groups feuding with each other reminded him of the current state of the world. The way reploids would talk about humanity, and then of course how mavericks resented those same humans…

The contempt was scary and it was odd looking at how humans had their own issues that needed to be resolved, before robots were even a thing. Usually X preferred the stories with a happy resolution, but this one wasn’t so neat in the ending. X’s immature mind thought the story itself had promise and hope in those earlier moments. He asked Dr. Cain if the old man ever wondered if the maverick wars would have a similar fate, the kind old doctor reminding X it was a work of fiction and that they held their own destiny in their hands. That would make X feel a little better, but he still missed Zero. 

This story particularly was cheesy and dramatic, but X was young back then and ate it up. It was a welcome distraction from his solitude that wasn’t solely hunting mavericks. The male lead reminded him of Zero of all things, X was ashamed to recall how he viewed the film back then. The group of thugs that would roam the streets fighting, and the lone figure being stopped from his rage when he met a beautiful girl was so painful to look at now that he was mature enough to see it differently. 

Back then, if Zero were to tell the rookie hunter that he was his one and only, X’s entire program would crash on the spot. Now he could tell how awkward the dialogue was and how corny the protagonists sounded when they were promising to meet again. X glanced between the screen and Zero multiple times, looking down in shame when the other had to snicker at the beginning of a romantic scene. 

‘Come down!’

‘No…’

‘Maria!’

‘Please...my mother and father will wake up.’

‘Just for a minute!’

‘A minute is not enough.’

‘For an hour then.’

‘I cannot…’

‘Then forever!’

X knew his partner had a shit eating grin on his face and was looking directly at him. He could hear it in Zero’s voice before the red android would even make a snide remark.

“You know X...I could swear there was this one B-rank hunter that used to follow me around, begging for a moment of my time. Remember that? I would ask him why he wasn’t afraid of me, and instead he would ask if we could spend our break together and grab an energy tank. Or how in that same instant when I said I could only spare a minute, he would say ‘then how about forever’?”

X wanted nothing more than to bury his head in the earth and never be reactivated. At least Zero was in a better mood, they couldn’t be sad if they were teasing each other. Too bad right now it was so one sided.

“Please don’t remind me…”

“Relax, I’m sure you’ll have fun telling Axl all about the way he acted when he first met you once he’s matured a little. ‘You’re sooooo cool, X’”

The mock tone was a good impression of Axl, but X was feeling called out by the implication.

“Oh, so that’s how you see me. Great, now I’ll be worried for weeks if there are any other moments that I should be ashamed of.”

“Not really, you don’t have to be so embarrassed. It was fun watching you tell Sigma I was your hero.”

Zero laughed at the way X was rubbing his face, most likely trying to hide the fierce blush forming. Zero would tell him one day that the honest display of his crush back in his early maverick hunting career was the reason why the red android felt so comfortable being his friend. It made him oddly protective of the smaller android, the way some of the 17th unit would treat his well meaning but odd approach to violence spurred the red hunter into action. Zero quickly became notorious for his bad temperament, something X would defend but Zero would use as a warning to anyone who tried to harm the blue hunter. 

“Is that why Dr. Cain would call Sigma’s mavericks the Jets sometimes?”

“Ok, he liked this movie too so maybe you could ease off a little? It’s a piece of history.”

“Alright, alright. I can tell you must have liked this, too. It’s not the worst thing in the world...definitely beats the talk Signas was giving earlier.” 

“How would you know? You didn’t stay for the whole thing.”

“He’s not as good at summarizing a mission as he was…”

X looked down at that, knowing who his partner was referring to. Zero never missed a word from Dr. Cain’s reports. Actually, there were times back then where the red hunter was reprimanding newer hunters for not giving the old man their full respect. Humans and reploids needed to work together, and that meant treating each other well. There were no humans on the Maverick Hunter force anymore, however.

“I know. I miss him too.”

“Hmph…”

Zero didn’t like saying that out loud, but he did miss him. He both loved that X could read him well enough that he didn’t have to say the words out loud, and resented him for it when those feelings made him look weak. Of course X would never say Zero’s human components were a weakness, the other saw their humanity as the best part of their programming. Hence him eagerly presenting these pieces of human history in the hopes Zero would warm up to it.

X scooted himself closer to the red android, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. The contact was to reassure his partner as well as himself. It was hard to stay sad when he was hugging Zero, relieved that the other placed an arm on his waist to pull him closer.

“He was always proud of you. Remember how happy it made him when you would use the upgrades he put in your dash abilities to speed past me.”

Zero huffed at that, recalling how cocky he was in his younger days. He didn’t see X as a rival, it was more like Zero would enjoy displaying his strength simply because he could. His new body was much more nimble than the previous one, the saber was also a welcome addition and quickly became his preferred method of attacking. 

He made great efforts to show off what he could do, not just because he was grateful to Dr. Cain for giving him the better hardware but also to prove to Dr. Doppler that the human was better at building combat reploids than he was. That and X’s comments on how cool Zero looked pulling off certain stunts felt pretty good. Another parallel to Axl, the red hunter was sad the kid never got to meet Dr. Cain. He would’ve liked the reploid instantly, adopting him into their family easier than X and Zero could. 

“Because he felt like he could never make anything as good as Dr. Light. You know that…”

X pulled back from the hug at that, crossing his arms. It was annoying that his own creator had left such a sizable mark on the world, but refused to give consistent help unless a situation was dire. He respected his creator, he was for all intensive purposes X’s source for being able to save the day. There were dim memories of the old man that made X secure that his intentions were good. 

And yet, there was that unintentional product of Dr. Cain admiring Dr. Light’s work so much that it had caused reploids to exist. No reploids would mean no mavericks, something that unfortunately was an idea the human government went back and forth with. Even the old man himself would have that thought, working twice as hard as any other human to find a way to fix something he saw as his own mistake in the hopes that it would save all his children. 

He knew more, but there was information X never learned from the old man on a lot of subjects. He suspected Zero was told, something he didn’t resent the red android for but it did hurt his feelings on his lower days that neither his partner nor his dear friend could share the entire story with him. 

“I wish I could’ve helped him with those feelings.”

Zero watched X’s expression drop. He tried to come up with the words to snap his partner out of his depressive state, his programming making a mess of his good intentions and producing words as blunt as the hilt of his saber. 

“Maybe you didn’t need to. He definitely rebuilt me better than I was before, and not everything needs to be resolved by talking about how sad we are.”

“...”

Zero knew he didn’t succeed when X stared down at his hands, the red hunter silently cursing his own creator for being the worst scientist in history. 

X didn’t like where the conversation was going, and it was clear Zero didn’t either. They looked back at the film. It seemed they spoke over most of this scene, it used to be one of X’s favorites. Presently, he felt an incredible amount of second hand embarrassment because of the number of times he played through the scene in his mind while thinking of the android sitting next to him. 

‘Today, the world was just an address,  
A place for me to live in,  
No better than all right,  
But here you are  
And what was just a world is a star  
Tonight!

Goodnight, goodnight,  
Sleep well and when you dream,  
Dream of me  
Tonight.’

X was debating sharing those thoughts to his partner. He was already sensitive because of that conversation and he was sad about their lost friend. Dr. Cain was a bit of a father figure, helping X figure out he had a crush on the former maverick. He was also the one to teach X how to hide those feelings so other reploids wouldn’t give him a hard time. 

‘He saved me again...the way that combat android can move, it was a blur.’

‘X, you’re in the lavender haze.’

‘It’s strange, I feel like I shouldn’t like him. Sigma said he’s dangerous, but I’m not scared of him. I told him that after he was done beating up Vile, he said I was weird but he likes me too. It made me feel incredible, is something wrong with me? Such a small thing made me feel like I could take on an army of mavericks by myself.’

‘That’s good, there’s nothing wrong with you! Don’t take everything Sigma says to heart, he’s...he’s changing. I don’t know if I like how paranoid he’s becoming.’

‘Doc?’

‘Don’t worry X, I’ll figure out how to help him. The important thing I want you to know is that your feelings are a beautiful thing. It’s a powerful source of motivation if properly handled, and it seems you have a good effect on that reploid as well.’

‘I hope so…I’m happy he likes me.’

‘I’m happy, too.’

X looked over at Zero. He could count the number of times the red hunter said ‘I love you’ using the fingers on both his hands and still have a few left over. Each one had been special and he treasured the fact that they even happened at all. The time they spent as friends seemed to be helping the red hunter through his burdens. Even if he said he hated it, X could tell how much talking about the pain caused from Iris seemed to get easier once it was off Zero’s chest. 

“You didn’t like your creator, you told me that once.”

“....”

“I’m sorry he wasn’t someone you could trust, but Dr. Cain cared about you more than even the robots he built from scratch. We could always trust him.”

The conversation was getting painful, talking about his creator always led to a migraine for the red android. He put a hand to his forehead, holding himself in the hopes that the dull throb would go away.

“You can drop it now.”

Zero’s voice had an edge to it in warning, a tone that would usually make other reploids afraid of the hunter. X would never be scared of him, but he felt bad that he couldn’t help his partner work through his old wounds. 

“Ok...I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright. He gave me a second chance when I didn’t deserve one---”

Those comments were the ones X hated the most. The blue hunter rarely said he hated anything, but the dismissive way Zero spoke of his life was a special case. 

“Please don’t say that about yourself.”

“That’s how I see it.”

“Your feelings are valid, but at least think about how that sounds to others. How would you feel if I said I didn’t deserve to live?”

At that, Zero went silent. He would be enraged at himself for not doing enough to make X feel like his life was worth living. The point hit home, he looked up at X with guilt.

“I’m sorry. I’ll work on being more thoughtful. Thank you, X”

“Don’t mention it. I’m glad we’re talking.”

Zero couldn’t stop his eyes from rolling, of course that’s what X would focus on. It didn’t hurt the blue android’s feelings, he laughed at Zero’s ‘too cool’ attitude about the subject. It was progress, he was happy with this much. It was a huge moment to have the android saying he would work on himself in something that wasn’t related to fighting. 

“Whatever. You kept pushing, I hope you’re satisfied now.”

“I definitely am, and hey, if we’re talking about our feelings finally, I don’t mind saying I hate it when you don’t pay any attention during my speeches. I don’t do them that often, so I put a lot of effort into those!”

“Stop making them boring, then.”

“Shouldn't going into a mission without being completely clueless be enough incentive? It’s funny hearing you ask Alia what’s going on when I literally said everything you needed to know minutes beforehand.”

Zero stuck his tongue out at that last part, X laughing before pulling his partner in for a kiss. Zero’s arms went around his waist, pulling X flush against himself. They didn’t waste any time removing their armor, helmets and pieces of their suits thrown around the room while they rolled off the couch onto the floor. Zero had X beneath him, pulling back and noticing his hair had been pulled undone when it was draping down into X’s face.

“Why do you always need to untie it...it’s annoying getting rid of the tangles after all this.”

“I like it. Dr. Cain always said getting to braid it was the best--”

“I really was going to kill him for that.”

“Sure you were. You know, if you let me braid it now it would be nice and wavy later. Plus you won’t have any tangles to deal with.”

Zero couldn’t give a retort, X was jumping up and switching their positions so he could get the android beneath him. He pressed Zero face down, using one of the red hunter’s wrestling moves from previous sparring matches to pin the other so X could press his hips against Zero’s posterior and his chest against his back. 

The red android made a frustrated sound, wiggling himself to gauge how tight X’s grip was and getting annoyed when the other wasn’t budging. It was slightly embarrassing to be in this new position. Judging by the erection resting against his ass, it seemed X liked it very much. 

Testing the other, he rolled his hips back and smirked when the other grunted and pressed his own hips forward in knee-jerk reaction. X hadn’t meant to hump against the other like that, but seeing as how Zero enjoyed being a jerk in this session, he figured all was fair game. He moved one of his hands, tugging the spandex off of the other’s hips and smiling when he could tell the other was aroused. 

“And here I thought you hated losing.”

Zero clenched his teeth at that, his irritation increasing at the derogatory remark. Strangely however, he felt himself tightening at the breathy way X was goading him. Stupid sexual tension...he was getting turned on by this but he refused to simply lay down and let the other have his way without putting up a struggle. 

“I haven’t lost, I’m letting you stay up there. If you want me to fight back--”

At those words Zero somehow managed to wrap his legs around X then flip him so their positions were switched. He pressed X against the floor, sitting smugly on top of the android. 

“Then I’ll fight back.”

X’s eyes were wide, his erection was throbbing with need while his face was pressed against the floor. Why should they fight when there were better things they could be doing? At this moment he wished he had an entrance as well since he would’ve been perfectly happy to be on the receiving end, so long as it meant they could get some sexual gratification out of their actions. Instead, he could only moan when he felt Zero press his erection so it was sliding up against his own. 

“I hate fighting…”

Zero was laughing at how muffled X’s voice was from being pressed into the floor like this. He released his grip, smiling while he helped his partner up. 

“How about we make a compromise? Let’s go to bed, I don’t want to mess up this room. Plus I feel guilty with that picture of the doctor looking at us.”

X turned his head, spotting the framed portrait Zero was referring to. It had the three of them, it was after they were all reunited and Sigma had been defeated for the second time. Zero had an awkward smile from still not being used to his new body and X looked exhausted. Dr. Cain had an arm wrapped around each robot, smiling with his entire face at the camera. They were happy to have Zero back, the old man insisting they had to take the photo right then and there. Afterwards they would patch up X and reinstate Zero’s hunter status, but in that moment the old man was ecstatic to have their team together again. 

Zero led X by the hand to the bed, crawling on all fours and positioning himself similar to before. X looked at him curiously, enamored with the display. Zero saw the question on his face when he turned his head back.

“This is how you wanted to do it, no?”

“I---uh----yes?”

“Then come on!”

X didn’t need to be told twice, placing himself on top of the android and hugging him from behind. He liked this, his chest pressed against the other’s back. He wanted to try this position for a few reasons, one of them being that Zero’s habit to pose backwards was one of his quirks X loved. Another being he really liked Zero’s back, his partner had a perfect figure. Not because of how it was modeled, but because it was Zero inside of this body and his mannerisms always came out in the small details. A hand on the hip, a grumpy look, turning his back to the enemy. He could look completely different, and X was sure he would still love every piece of his hardware so long as his confident persona was intact. 

Right now though, he was curious about his internal structure. He fingered the entrance, noting it was easier to slip inside from this position. It seemed he could curl more of the appendage in, Zero moaning when X brushed against one of his weak points. Placing another finger, X wanted to be inside his partner quickly but fought away his impatience. He needed to make sure Zero was stretched enough, realizing the other was getting easier to enter each time and seemed to fit X perfectly. X licked his lips, his partner was ready. 

Zero felt the blunt head of X’s erection pressing against his entrance, the android on top of him holding his hips to make the red hunter arch his back. When he felt the phallus entering him, he pressed up into it.

“Ah…..X….. Just---you can put it in all the way. I’m fine, I’ve never broken.”

X loved the way Zero was choking over his words. He pulled back, only thrusting in a little bit more with each movement of his hips. He loved the feeling of being inside his partner, and he wanted to savor it. The grunts and frustrated huffs Zero was making were a bonus. 

“Shhhh……..we have all the time in the world. I want you…..forever”

“X……………………....”

“Mmmmm, Zero………....I love you Zero.”

His words were slightly muffled by X pressing his face into the other’s neck, nuzzling into his hair and kissing the exposed skin. Zero groaned when he felt teeth being used, there would be a hickey somewhere later. 

“.............................................”

“Zero……………………………………”

“..........................................................”

“...............................................................”

“..............................................................”

“……………………Zer…………………………………………..”

“....................................................................”  
“.............................Z……...e……………………………………….”

“.................X!”

It was there, caught in his throat but the words were there. It wouldn’t come out, no matter how badly he wanted to. He loved X, so much that it hurt and it was painful that he was programmed to be this way. He wanted to be better, he had to fight this and let his partner know he meant the world to him. 

It was hard to do so when X was pressing his hips against his backside, his inner walls being stretched and filled by the other’s length so perfectly. X was pulling his hair, and that was when Zero screamed. The way the red android’s insides clenched in arousal made X scream too. 

“!!!!!......................................................”

“.....................................................”

“……………………………………………..”

“X…………………...I…………………….I………….X…………….”

“...........................................................................”

“...........................................................................”

“...........................................................................”

“..............I……...lo………………………………….”

“.............................................................................”

“.............................................................................”

“...................I……….I lo---!!!!!!!!!!...........................”

“.............................................................................”

“.............................................................................”

“.............................................................................”

“X............................I lov--------------.........................”

“..................Zero…………………………………….”

“......................................................................lo……………….”

“..............................................................................................”

“..............................................................................................”

“X…………………………………………………………………”

“............................................................................................”

Zero was gritting his teeth, his hands attacking the bed had left scratch marks on the metal frame from previous times they fucked, but there would be new ones tonight from the way his fingers were digging into the piece of furniture. X said he didn’t mind, he took it as a source of pride. Plus right now he wasn’t paying attention to anything other than how wonderful his partner felt and how much he loved him.

“I……………………...X…………………………………..I can’t……..”

X leaned down, pressing his mouth so he could bite the android’s ear. He nibbled the lobe, blowing against the skin before backing off so he could softly speak to his partner. 

“You don’t have to……………………………………………………..….”

“Oh, X…………………………………………………………………..”

“You do so much already. Don’t ever think…...what you give me isn’t enough.................”

It was true. Zero knew he was being completely honest, X was simply content with the knowledge that his partner was alive. The bar couldn’t have been lower at this stage of their partnership and it made Zero feel awful because he felt like he didn’t deserve it. He raised his hips to meet X’s thrusts, the blue hunter had been screaming out his name in ways that fueled Zero’s own arousal. He felt his member twitching, moaning when X placed a hand there to stroke him. 

“..................................................................................”

“I love you, Zero..................................................................................”

He made it sound so easy to say. He never held it against Zero for not returning the many times he would say it. He told the red hunter once that they were different, and that was ok. X knew where he stood with other declarations of love. It still made Zero feel like shit because he wanted to be everything X needed. 

“................................................”

“...............................................”

It was a struggle against his programming to be a war machine, it was already an anomaly that he could love at all. Dr. Cain said that meant Zero could fight off his creator’s commands, but there would be challenges. If it were as simple as fighting, then the red hunter said he would have no issue coming out the victor. He was able to share how much his friends meant to him in his own way, but right now he wanted to do it X’s way since it was X screaming his head off while fucking him.

X was dragging out his thrusts, Zero moaning himself hoarse at the way he would pull back slowly then ram back into him with all his strength. At first he thought the slow movements would be unsatisfying, but it seemed X had found a way to extend their pleasure. He had meant it when he said they had all of tonight together. 

“................................................”

“.................................................”

X was keeping his face close to the other, his chin settling on Zero’s shoulder while his hands gripped the red android’s. He was so close, Zero’s heat was addictive. He tried to make it last as long as possible, his thrusts becoming heavier but slower. Zero screamed when one in particular hit a bundle of nerves directly. 

“Zero, I’m…………………….!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

“X, I love you!!!!!!!”

At that last cry, Zero was arching his back impossibly backwards while he came. X followed right after, feeling tears from the whirlwind of emotions at Zero’s declaration and his inner walls tightening on his phallus in waves. 

X was laying on his back next to his partner, feeling the wet sting in his eyes and cursing that he was crying. It had happened a few times before during their love making, but it was still embarrassing. 

Zero rolled himself over so he was pressed against X, kissing his cheeks where there were tear streaks and holding the android’s face in his hands. 

“Every thought I’ll ever know, everywhere I go, always you...”

The blue hunter blinked at that, having to stare for a moment in disbelief. Somewhere deep inside, the naive teenager who would follow the mysterious and cool hunter off a cliff would never in a thousand years thought this moment would happen.

X had to jump up and swing his partner around, somehow getting a jolt of energy from hearing Zero quote the awful, awful movie they had watched just to make him happy. Those moments where the other would take extra thought in his actions to make X feel good, that was how he knew he was loved. It meant just as much as hundreds of ‘I love you’s. 

Zero yelped, bursting into laughter at how his partner was doing everything except tossing him into the air like a baton. X was pressing his mouth to kiss him, finally dropping onto the ground from exhaustion after twirling with the android in his arms.

Zero had to carry them both over back to the recharge station, holding X close to his chest while they both fell into standby. He pressed his lips against the other’s head, murmuring softly.

“Sleep well and when you dream, dream of me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so i guess this is kind of a thing now. Some dumb moments of exploring how robots with human feelings venture into their sexuality once it’s made an option for them. Usually done while im not sober or recovering from being not sober.
> 
> This one’s even more obscure, songs would come up in my playlist while I was hung over from thanksgiving, hitting me with the thought ‘Hey I bet X and Dr. Cain would like old movies and books from humanity’ and then my brain exploded into a goop. This chapter is that goop, i'm so tired 
> 
> X, humming to himself back in his rookie days: What a thrill. I'm searching and I'll melt into you. What a fear in my heart. But you're so supreme! I give my life. Not for honor, but for youuuu
> 
> Sigma: X, that was the robot that ripped off my arm with his bare hands and killed entire units of reploids.
> 
> X: ;~; ………. but commander, I love him. how could you say that face is evil? 
> 
> Zero: >:(


	4. Chapter 4

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‘Rock...you have to keep living.’

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‘Mega Man....’

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‘Rock...please...hang on...just a little longer…’

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‘....Can you fix him?’

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‘He’s my brother, I can’t leave him behind!’

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‘...I don’t know if I can, but I have to try. I’ll give you this, Rock… please, just hold on…’

‘Give him my parts!’

‘Don’t say that, he’s my brother too! He wouldn’t want you to sacrifice yourself!’

‘I already cheated death once before…’

‘Let me see what I can do...Hold on, Rock…’

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‘I want...my son to grow up…Hang in there, Mega Man.”

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‘Just a little more, Rock.... then we’ll see you again…’

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X opened his eyes, his vision adjusting to the dark room. 

That dream would happen in the past, just as cryptic as before. He didn’t remember much of anything from when he was first activated. There were faces huddling around him, prominent urgency held in their voices. He wouldn’t even be able to recognize those voices at this point, it was over 100 years ago. His memory banks could only store so much, and there was corrupted code left over from when he was being built. 

There was Dr. Light’s face, that he would never forget. He looked so sad. 

And so old…

Much older than Dr. Cain was when he reactivated X, letting the android know he was awoken at a time that he was deemed ready.

His capsule was almost like an incubator, making adjustments and upgrading his software appropriately. Dr. Cain said looking at his programming was incredible the first time, it was an artistic mesh of old and new. The archeologist quickly became obsessed with the most advanced android of their time, Mega Man X. It was a rule he made to the government and the reploids to be respectful of the area where they found X, not wanting anything potentially destroyed or corrupted until they had the technology to properly analyze everything. 

It had been a long time since then, and they still didn’t understand how X worked. In time, and with Dr. Cain reaching the end of his life, there were thieves and scavengers that invaded the region. If there was anything left of X’s past, the blue hunter wouldn’t know even if he went there. Not that he had much time to wander off on his own like that...

As much as the android would like to understand his past, it was difficult to pursue the subject when there were mavericks and the Maverick Hunters to take care of. He gave Axl the ok to pursue his own history either with a group if he so chose or on his own. The gun-slinging reploid was content to do it alone, saying the only teammates he ever wanted at this stage of his life were X and Zero. If they wanted to join him, he’d be happy to have them by his side.

X didn’t outright turn him down, letting the backlog of work on his computer monitors speak for them self. Axl looked at him sadly, twiddling with one of his guns before glancing over to Zero.

‘Hey Zero, why don’t you help X out with all that? Then maybe he can get it done and we can all go together!’

Zero looked awkwardly at X, knowing well by that point he wasn’t trusted with certain tasks. The red android would help if he were allowed, regardless of how much he hated the bureaucratic shit. He was of great assistance to Dr. Cain and X when he was rebuilt but those days were becoming fragments of history.

It made X feel equally awkward, not being able to explain that to Axl and knowing his partner would share those burdens if he could. But he couldn’t, and Zero was still an anomaly to the officials overlooking them. And not in the hope inspiring way that X was considered an anomaly, Zero caused fear. 

X merely told Axl he liked this part of the job and left it at that. Axl took it at face value, saying that there was still work to do so X could focus on the fun parts of being a hunter again. Zero pulled him aside, telling him they could spar until X was done then they could all go out later. 

X tried to fight away the bitterness at thinking that nothing really had changed over the years. Outside of Axl’s presence, what did he have to prove that he was in any different standing with his place in the world? In certain aspects, he still felt as clueless as he had been back when he was first made Commander for the 17th Unit. 

Why did they even make him a leader? Just because he was the only one who could take Sigma in a fight? Why did he have to keep fighting, what point was there to any of their efforts when it seemed reploids would be safe for only so long before another outbreak occurred. Why was he even created...

The blue hunter looked at his internal clock. It was 4:30 AM, way too early for an existential crisis. What made it all worthwhile was that they protected innocent lives. Even if it was truly a perfect standstill, the fact that they could prevent people from dying should’ve been enough for now. X tried to ease himself with the positive affirmations. 

He got up from his recharge station, looking at all the dents and scratches on the frame. There were new ones from the night before, though sadly Zero hadn’t stayed over. The other hunter would apologize once he saw X later, but the blue android would simply say it didn’t bother him. Everything Zero gave him was enough.

That was what he told himself and Zero when the other would apologize for leaving without saying goodbye. He knew the other needed to be alone sometimes, as much as X would’ve loved to have him glued to his hip. Sometimes he daydreamed how nice it would be to have an entire day of just laying together and cuddling...a day with Zero’s arms wrapped around him would be better than a year’s sabbatical. 

Their creators seemed to be very different people in that regard. From what X could infer about Dr. Light, there was that distinct loneliness in his eyes that X didn’t understand until suddenly Zero went missing. An old wound that seemed to be slightly eased by X’s presence. Seeing as how in his message on X’s capsule it stated outright he had no children or family to speak of, his creations were all the man had to keep him company. He was alike with Dr. Cain in that regard, though the archeologist told X and Zero dozens of times he had no regrets.

The same couldn’t be said for the large man that granted X the power he needed to save the world. Who knew what he had gone through that made him so hesitant to give X all of his powers outright, taking care in his programming so X was also disdainful of violence. There was a quiet resignation to the wars that wage beyond his grave, simply giving his creation whatever he needed to pull through. 

The blue hunter picked up his armor and spandex from the odd places they ended up after Zero had thrown them aside. He had to smile looking down at a dent in the wall left by his partner’s actions. He would have to get that repaired before Axl came over again, it was easier doing most of their alone time at X’s home since Axl would usually stay with Zero. 

They might as well say Axl lived alone in an apartment Zero paid for, seeing as how the red hunter very seldomly spent the night in his personal charge station. The red android preferred going out on his own at night, then recharging at one of the capsules they had inside H.Q later in the day. To do what exactly, even X wasn’t completely sure. It did make for a useful cover in regards to their private meetings, they barely made it to the bed in that last one...

The evening prior had been ‘date night’. Zero had asked X if he wanted to grab something to eat on their trip home, seeing as how they had an intense sparring match at the end of the work day. X was still fairly riled up, his response was he would rather eat in. 

Zero didn't know what that phrase meant, X practically shoving the red android into his apartment while saying that he would find out soon. X really liked the shocked expression Zero made in response to his daring, the red android looking like prey when he was on his back with his armor being thrown aside shortly after the front door had been locked. X didn't even bother removing his own armor in his first line of attack.

When Zero tried to ask the blue android what had gotten into him, he was cut off by the other almost ripping off the material of his under armor to get to the upgraded hardware below. The red hunter finally understood X's meaning when the blue android was holding up his knees and placing his face between his thighs. 

Was it because Zero had held him in a Crossface earlier? X didn't even know, he was finding it hard to keep away from his partner when it was so clear they both loved doing this. It was necessary for Zero to cry out once X started harassing the sensitive region. His mouth and tongue prodded and sucked in ways that had the red android moaning out X’s name over and over.

After Zero’s first orgasm, their roles were reversed. Zero was threatening X, warning him that he was about to remove all his armor and clothing with his teeth and wreck his hardware. X said he would like that very much. It was a blessing the room was soundproof. 

The blue android still felt loose from their night together. He found he could hold charges more efficiently after they made love, an anomaly since how in the world fucking would make him more efficient at recharging was beyond his reasoning. Perhaps the release of pent up stress made their internal resistance go down, thus improving the voltage's ability to push electricity through their system? He had no idea, and he didn’t have the courage to ask Alia. She probably already knew they were romantically involved, but he didn’t want to give her more evidence. 

He really preferred keeping his private life as private as possible. It was that selfishness again, he loved Zero and only Zero needed to know that. 

Once all his regular armor was on, he went outside. The sun still hadn’t come out but that was fine. He could go into H.Q early, no doubt Alia and Signas would be there at this hour, already going through their own respective work. 

He planned on teleporting, but something caught his eye. X looked around, his eyes narrowing when he recognized the presence in the area. 

“Axl! I know you’re there!”

X waited while standing perfectly still. The night air was quiet save for his voice echoing lightly. Once the sound waves dissipated, all that was left were the soft steps taken by the young reploid who appeared from his hiding place to smile nervously at the blue android.

“...hi…”

Axl glanced around, never directly looking X in the face. That further irritated the blue hunter, he was glaring at the younger reploid. 

“...”

“So uh...I ran into some trouble. I called Zero for help and he saved me, but we need to go back and get him.”

“What?! What exactly were you doing?”

X tried to fight down the panic in his voice that would arise anytime Zero was alone on a mission. Axl seemed to make himself smaller at the tone of voice X was using. He already felt guilty for having to come to either of them at all, he was sure initially he could handle anything he would find in there. He just wasn’t expecting there to be Mavericks sweeping the place for valuables...

“I found a lead for my creator! There was an old factory, and I thought it was fine on my own...but then something came up, and I needed help. I didn’t know what else to do, I didn’t want to bother you---”

“But it was fine to drag Zero into this, because he never says no to you? You know his frame is more frail than ours without any attachments added, right?”

“He said he could handle it!”

“Zero thinks he can handle anything until he suddenly can’t!” 

X didn’t mean to yell out that last part, but it irked him that Axl seemed to think the red hunter was invincible. He wasn’t there for any of the times Zero was destroyed. He didn’t know what it was like having to wake up each day and remember that his partner wasn’t as unstoppable as he claimed to be…

He felt awful for letting himself get stressed like that, Axl was looking down guiltily. 

“I’m sorry…I’ll go with you, I’m sure you’re right and he’s fine. He’ll probably be saying I didn’t need to bother coming along once we get there.”

X walked over while he said that, placing his hands on the reploid’s shoulders. Axl felt better with the gesture, catching on that there was more to X’s words than the blue hunter would ever tell him but knowing better than to ask the other to explain. 

“Ok, do you have enough energy to teleport us to the coordinates? I’m running low…”

“Hang on, let me get you an energy tank. I should probably bring a subtank for Zero, maybe two just in case…I’ll get us there in a second.”

As a byproduct of having fought in the Maverick Wars for too long, X had a few supplies stocked away that would be useful. He gave a spare energy replenishing drink to Axl, the gun-slinging reploid gratefully accepting more than 1 after downing the first in seconds. X connected himself to Axl’s server, quickly sending them to the location.

The factory looked ancient, potentially much older than Axl’s creation date. X scanned the region, noting that it looked like whatever spikes of activity had occurred previously had lowered. It didn’t look like there were any huge events, easing some of his worry. Axl saw the way the tension in the blue hunter’s face seemed to drop.

“See? It didn’t look so bad on the surface.”

“...”

“It looks like Zero took care of the mavericks here already. He’s the best around, you know that! It’s why we go so well together.”

“Right… so it should be you filling up one of the subtanks for him.”

X smugly handed the empty piece of equipment to the youth, Axl laughing nervously at the edge in X’s voice. He was still in trouble, he knew that much, but truthfully there was a part of himself that was happy to be on a mission with Zero and X. When it was all three of them, Axl felt like they could take on the entire world. He took the subtank, already thinking up a way to make filling it up entertaining. 

“Think I can take down 20 mechaniloids before we find Zero?”

X had to laugh at that. 

“If you believe in yourself, anything’s possible.”

“Hey, that was from that one movie you showed me a while ago! What was the name…”

“Don’t hurt yourself trying to remember. Just get it done, I think I located him already.”

“Yes sir!”

The reploid’s cheeriness was infectious, X found himself smiling while he watched Axl fire away. He didn’t even need to pull out his buster, the former assassin masterfully covering for the both of them as he hunted for energy to fill the device on his back. He took his task seriously, wanting to make X and Zero happy that he could help in his own way. He filled up both subtanks in no time, grabbing the one X was carrying once he was finished with the other. 

X appreciated Axl the most when he was like this. He tried not to think about how the young hunter’s eagerness to follow the people he cared about had been exploited by others in the past. 

The feelings were there, however, and they tugged at X’s heart. The thought of that awful hunter who the gun-slinging reploid ran away from, the one that took advantage of Axl’s desire to belong somewhere… it made X glad he was the one who fired the shot that destroyed Red. Axl said Red wasn’t always that way, X didn’t contradict him to tell the younger hunter that those same words could be said for Sigma. 

He was so naive, but X understood why he held out hope for so long that the reploid who found him first would change back to his previous state of mind. When it wasn’t happening, it had been up to X and Zero to finish off the maverick while Axl tried to compose himself for the next fight. 

The blue and red reploid waved at X to show him the two completely full tanks, confidently striding through the last door that should lead to Zero. X dashed to his side, looking around in the hopes of spotting his partner.

The pair saw him soon enough, Zero was looking down at the remains of a maverick he must have just recently destroyed. There was still smoke emitting from the wreckage, the red hunter glanced over and smirked when he saw his partners. 

“Took you long enough…”

Axl ran over to show off the filled tank to his friend, grinning widely. 

“Aw, you got to have all the fun without me! I brought you a present!”

Zero gratefully took the subtank from the shorter reploid, replenishing the health he had lost from trading blows with so many robots. He didn’t realize how much damage he had taken, grateful that his partners thought ahead. 

Well, he knew it was most likely X who made sure they were prepared. Axl was running around the two, bouncing with extra energy now that all three of them were technically on a mission to look into his past.

“Since we’re all here, might as well go all the way together! Come on X, it’s like those old digs you said you loved going on!”

X saw what the reploid was trying to do, internally torn at the prospect. He really should be getting back now that his worries had been eased but the reploid was running over to look up at X with pleading eyes. 

“Axl, I need to get back to H.Q. I have a meeting---”

“Yeah, in like 6 hours! I saw your schedule. You can spend some time with us, right?”

Axl was gripping his hands now, looking at him in the hopes X would relent. The blue hunter glanced between Axl and Zero, noting that the red hunter was keeping himself expressionless so as to not sway X one way or the other. X exhaled, he would regret this later when Signas would ask what he had been up to so early in the morning. 

“Let’s go---Hey, easy!”

Axl was dragging X by the arm, dashing forward to one of the main computers with his hero. 

“You take care of this one, I’ll take the room over!”

The blue and red reploid ran over to the crevice, his footsteps getting quieter as he ran along the corridor. In no time at all, X and Zero alone. 

X saw that the red hunter was smirking at him, spotting that his partner was still worrying about what could have happened even when Zero was alright. 

“You know I couldn’t leave him alone.”

“I know...I’m glad he went to you, but someone has to worry. We’re not invincible, Zero.”

“True, but you know me. Never say die.”

“I hate that joke…”

“But you love me.”

“...”

Zero didn’t seem to care if Axl could hear them. X was starting to get the suspicion Zero had disclosed how close they were to Axl already, deciding that if his partner had it didn’t upset him at all. It seemed to make Axl feel secure when they were all on good terms, he would get stressed when saw any in fighting and it definitely would affect his ability to carry out certain tasks. The other members of the Maverick Hunters weren't wrong to say they had one of the oddest dynamics for a unit. Alia still joked about that time Axl accidentally called X 'mom' after a mission over their servers. 

The information X was able to collect was largely corrupted, they would need to bring it back to base to see if anyone could restore the data. From what X could retrieve, it seemed Axl had found a place that held promise. 

A mesh of old and new code...some of the program dated back to X’s time. It creeped him out looking at the dates, making him wonder if Axl’s creator potentially had known X’s. Or even…

What if they had the same creator? There was the possibility of them even being colleagues, seeing as how Axl had a copy ability too. Axl remembered nothing of his activation outside of it being done by an old man. 

X tensed when he felt arms wrapping around his waist, Zero placing his head on his shoulder to look over at the screen below. 

“Always so efficient…”

“Axl could walk in at any moment…”

“He’s fine, he’s not exactly quiet. It’s you that can’t keep a poker face.”

“You’d think you would get sick of me after an entire night together--”

“I would want more of you even if we did it a week straight.”

Zero accented his point by kissing X’s neck, the blue hunter shivering at the feel of hot breath on the delicate region. Zero’s mouth on his skin was making it difficult to complete his task, he tried to ignore it while he downloaded the remaining bits of data then uploaded it to H.Q’s servers. 

How he managed to complete those actions when Zero started to more or less give him a back rub was a wonder in itself. His hands rubbed X’s shoulders reassuringly, massaging his frame while doing his own scanning of the data. X didn’t know how the other could multitask like that, the sensation of Zero’s face brushing against his cheek and the back of his neck sent tingles all over. X let out a choked groan when the red hunter bit his neck then blew over the exposed skin.

“If Axl walks in right now--”

“He’s pretty far from us now.”

“Zero”

“Alright, I’ll stop.”

Zero placed one last kiss on X's cheek before pulling away completely. X fought down the sadness that followed when his partner wasn’t in his physical proximity anymore. He sent a glare to the red hunter meant to convey that he would pay him back later, Zero smiling innocently. That expression on Zero’s face made X want to tackle him to the ground, but he fought away those urges to complete the task in front of him. Once X finished up his work, he was dashing down the corridor with his partner to go find Axl. 

The blue and red reploid smiled at their presence, he would have trouble getting into a recharge station when so much excitement had occurred. He was running between his teammates to let them know all about what he found, how it seemed there had been more prototypes like himself but he was the only one that was operational, how there might be other factories like this one on the continent to explore, the possibility that Axl might have been built much earlier than he initially thought…

It was hard to follow him when he was pumped with energy, loudly declaring that their team would get to the bottom of this mystery with no trouble at all. X smiled at him pleasantly, only able to catch some 70% of what the reploid was saying exactly. He figured he would get the most information once he saw all the data for himself later. 

Zero winked at Axl, trying to get the reploid to calm down so they could leave the factory. Even though the reploid was acting as though he had all the energy in the world, they really needed to get to a recharge station. 

“Come on, let’s go home. We can stay at X’s place while he goes off to be the breadwinner.”

“Alright! I like that plan!”

X looked indignantly at the pair, pointing a finger at Zero. 

“Wait, that’s!! That's not fair! And why am I being labeled the 'breadwinner', you make more than I do!”

Zero's smirk turned devilish, X already hearing the smugness in the red hunter's reply before the words came out of his mouth. 

"But I work less hours than you, didn't I explain before the trick behind Special A hunters? If you only send them out on special circumstances, the budget works out much nicer for the government."

X could feel his eyebrow twitch, but he stopped when he found it wasn’t worth arguing over. Zero winked at X, easing the blue android’s reservations. He would be fine with letting the robots stay in his apartment to rest. X could take care of the appropriate documents, letting their workplace know why Zero and Axl were unavailable that day. 

And truthfully, the idea of coming home to their little family made him feel happier than anything else in the world. Much like how Axl’s presence begrudgingly made X feel better when they first met, the reploid’s rescue mission ended up helping X tuck away the depression the android had felt earlier when he woke up that morning. He looked between Zero and Axl’s back and forth, Zero telling the younger reploid they could have a movie night once X returned home so they should grab snacks along the way. 

Why did X keep fighting? Because there were people he loved waiting for him once he was finished.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m not naming these chapters, but if I change my mind later this one would be called “Hotline Bling”.
> 
> I liked it more when Axl was a bluish/red than black and red. I also love the idea of X and Zero being the ones to take down Red so Axl doesn’t have to deal with that trauma. Actually using Zero in the fight tho...heaven help you as you double jump everywhere to get a decent hit in and not die to the pitfalls.
> 
> Heaven help you if you ever decide to play X7…
> 
> X: i love coming home to my trophy husband and our son
> 
> Axl: :D
> 
> Zero: >:(


	5. Chapter 5

“X!!! ZEROOO!!! I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE, I GOT A DVD FROM ALIA WE CAN WATCH!!! THIS ONE HAS BRUCE WILLIS, I DON'T KNOW WHO THAT IS BUT I HEARD ZERO LIKED HIM!”

Zero could feel his rage building exponentially. He counted to 10, just like X said he should when he got the impulse to destroy everything. It was difficult since X was currently between his legs, having stopped his progress of fucking the android until his server overloaded at the sound of the reploid’s voice. 

X was equally irritated, though he had an easier time fighting away his anger since he wasn’t the one with programming oriented towards destruction. He looked over to see Zero's face, slightly amused at the sexual frustration. 

“...should I go let him in?”

Zero moved his eyes to glare at the shorter android grinning up at him. 

“I'm gonna kill him one day.”

“It's alright, we can pick up where we left off later.”

“ARE YOU KIDDING ME--”

“Shhh! He might be able to hear you.”

The other had some nerve telling Zero he would have to wait, the red android hissing out his next words. 

“You started this...”

X smiled sweetly, kissing his partner on the cheek in apology. The other was practically fuming when X pulled back, making the blue android laugh nervously. 

“I know, I'm sorry! Um...how close were you?”

“....”

Judging by how flushed the other was and how he had been practically whining when X halted mid-thrust, it was probably fairly close. The blue hunter was in a similar state, it would be uncomfortable putting on his groin armor to go see the reploid waiting for him outside. X paused for a moment in thought, eyes widening when an idea hit him.

“I think I can stall him. I have a plan, I'll tell him to grab food and that should give us enough time to finish up, sound good?”

Zero looked at the blue hunter in alarm. It was shocking how much the other seemed to be fairly competent at sneaking around, given he was always so straightforward and honest in other aspects of life. They were both old robots at this point of their activation, and yet there were still new things to learn about his partner.

“...you came up with that so easily...”

“Heh heh...”

“You turned into a real freak over this, ya know that?”

“And you aren't?”

“I am, but unlike you I don't pretend to be all proper at work.”

X stuck his tongue out at his partner, grabbing around to put on his armor then swiftly pecking Zero on the lips before rushing outside. The red hunter laid back when he saw the door being closed behind his partner, sighing heavily. He stared at the ceiling while listening in on the conversation below.

“Axl? Yeah, we can. I'll call Zero to come over if you'd like.”

“You don't have to play it up, I know he's there. You guys really aren’t that slick, I swear...”

“R-Right. Um, how about you go get some snacks while I set up the video player?”

Axl brightened at that, excited that his impromptu hang out was working. It usually would if he insisted enough, but X seemed more willing today.

“Great idea!!! Any specific requests?”

“Um...Zero liked those Cadmium chips...you're better at knowing what's good than I am, go nuts!”

X handed the reploid his credit card, Axl jumping to grab it. He was fine with the young reploid wasting money if it meant his partner upstairs would be happy. 

“Alright!!! I'll be back quick, thanks X!”

The blue hunter waited until Axl was out of sight before running backup to his apartment. 

Once back inside, he looked at his best friend still lying on the ground. A swell of pride filled his chest because it was another wonderful reminder that the red android was his beloved partner, even after all these years. Zero raised his head to smirk at X, it was a turn on watching the way the red hunter’s expression darkened with lust. 

A cry echoed through the night air, the same familiar voice before the pair could enjoy being alone again.

“I FORGOT I HAD MY SECRET STASH BACK AT BASE!! HEY!!! X!!!! I EVEN HAD A WHOLE 6 PACK OF DR. ZEFFER’S!! WE’RE GOOD TO GO!!!”

X rushed over to yell out his window at the blue and red reploid.

“I HAVE NEIGHBORS, YOU DON’T NEED TO YELL!”

Axl froze, not realizing how it was probably past bedtime for other reploids. 

“Sorry…”

The pair of androids looked at the window, then back at each other. X had to hold a hand up to his mouth to stifle down the laughing fit, the way Axl was drooping his head was too funny. The fact that it was snowing lightly made him look even more like a lost child. He couldn’t stay mad at the reploid for long, X turned his head to see how his partner was fairing. 

“...”

“...”

“...”

“...can I kill him now?”

“Zero!”

**********************************************************************************************************

After some shuffling around, the team rearranged X’s living room. He had the projector hooked up to the DVD player, cursing when even after he double checked all the cables it still wasn’t turning on.

“Damn...I’m sorry, it looks like this needs to be fixed. I can have it up and running, but it’ll take me a hot minute.”

“Awww”

Axl pouted, looking over at Zero. The red hunter was staring at the ceiling again, bored out of his mind and equally incapable of being patient. He made an extravagant display of telling X he wasn’t helping them set up everything, instead opening a bag of chips and laying on the ground. When Axl wandered over, wanting to touch the long locks of blonde hair splayed all over the floor, Zero was warning him he always had his Z-saber.

He was still slightly salty with the gun-slinging reploid for ruining the mood, Zero remarked at Axl that this better have been a damn good movie. Axl snickered, saying he didn’t mean to intrude if they were busy. He thought they were doing something boring like talking about work related junk, so he figured Zero would prefer something more entertaining. 

X told him not to worry, his door was always open for the reploid and the gesture was appreciated. Zero told Axl he would start charging rent in between handfuls of the fried metal bits. 

Presently, X could see something bad happening based on the thought process with those two when they would get bored. Axl acting out for attention, Zero responding to the actions by following on his promise that the only robot allowed to destroy Axl was himself, both of them distracting X from his attempt to fix the DVD player…

He would need to think of something to occupy them with. A thought passed him by early in the morning, right after a quick debrief with Signas about the Hunters’ current status. He was bothered throughout the first half of the work day, not meaning to ignore Alia’s many alerts that he had his midday meetings when the time came around. He was late to the first one by a few minutes because of it. The event might be something Axl would be interested in.

“Ya know...this time of year always makes me feel a certain way. I can’t say what exactly, but it’s odd thinking how many years have passed since then.”

His cryptic phrasing worked perfectly, Axl focused his attention X.

“Since what?”

“Shame on you. And here I thought you were our fan, Axl.”

X winked at him, the blue and red reploid putting a hand to his chin to think what could his friend be referring to. Zero was also at a loss for words, unsure of X’s meaning and sitting up to look at his partner. Tossing aside the crumpled bags he had gone through in quick succession, the realization struck him when he checked the calendar in his system.

“...we’ve been doing this for way too long…”

Zero made his statement dryly, Axl looking between the two helplessly.

“Does anyone want to fill me in?”

“It’s ancient history at this point. It’ll be the anniversary of the third Sigma war on the 25th.”

Axl’s shocked expression took up his entire face. How could he forget? It was one of the most important pieces of reploid history at this point, even though the red and blue hunter hadn’t even been activated yet. Most likely his framework hadn’t even been into its assembly process…

“You guys are old.”

“And yet we’re still fully operational.”

“I only ever saw the reports of the whole thing, but I bet the real story is much better. I’d love to hear what it was like for you two having to fight the whole world, only the other by your side! It must have been great running into Zero and teaming up for the first time!”

The way the reploid seemed to admire the events made X suddenly serious. He didn’t want Axl thinking blindly jumping into danger was something to respect. 

“It wasn’t that simple. It was---”

Zero cut in, still irritated with the two androids and Axl’s romanticizing of the event reminding him of how stressful certain situations could be. 

“No, it was actually, I can confirm that much. X here doesn’t like to talk about how he pulled some pretty dangerous stunts back then, even when he was in a commander position. Guess who had to drop everything to go save his hide...we were lucky the only thing I’m good for is fighting.”

“Zero! No you weren’t, you cared! If it weren’t for you, I’d never be the hunter I am today. It was stupid...I was stupid.”

“Should’ve thought of that first before running off to fight Vile all by yourself.”

X looked down at the screwdriver in his arm cannon socket, placing the device in his other hand on the table. 

“You can’t let me live that down, can you?”

Zero could see that X must have had field day overthinking his actions from his younger days on his own. Not wanting the android to pay too much mind to the voices in his head, the red hunter gave his reply as nonchalantly as possible. 

“Nope.”

X didn’t know how Zero managed to make remarks sound so devoid of warmth, but in this circumstance he was alright with it. He’d rather have his indifference, it was easier to mask away his insecurities when Axl was present. He was grateful he wasn’t bringing up the incidents after, with Mac or with the fake Zero Sigma made. He really was too naive back then...

The red and blue reploid laughed nervously as he watched the pair’s back and forth. It took him a moment to see the shift in the mood. Zero was smirking at X, meant to convey that he wasn’t being serious. The blue hunter sighed, he knew he was on the losing end of this. He had to grow up quickly once he left Sigma’s fortress the first time alone, but that initial attempt at stopping the Maverick’s rampage was the biggest wake up call.

Axl was looking up at him expectantly, X fiddling with the screwdriver in his arm cannon as he tried to make the repairs on the DVD player. When the red and blue reploid wouldn’t stop staring at him, X met his gaze. Axl smiled.

“Story time! I wanna hear about what you two were like back then! Oh, tell me about the first time Zero saved you! I wanna know if it was anything like how he watched my back when I first joined you guys.”

X looked between his teammates. Zero had grabbed one of the cans of carbonated oil supplements, chugging it while pretending to ignore everyone. Against his usual reservations, X decided would let Axl know that bit of history from their perspective. 

“....Fine…”

*****************************************************************************************************

X watched as his friend fired off a charged shot in frustration to the fleeing air vessel. It was a pointless effort, the pink DNA-like strands leaving a large imprint on the side of the ship but it wasn’t nearly enough to make it crash. Vile had gotten away, and it pissed off the red hunter to no end. The coward was never one to face Zero directly, of course he would run once he arrived. The situation was getting worse by the minute.

“Damn, I guess I’m not powerful enough to defeat him…”

Zero turned around to face the blue hunter kneeling on the floor. X felt ashamed that he had to be rescued by the same comrade of their unit so many times, especially now when he really needed to be strong. 

“X, you shouldn’t expect to win against Vile; he was designed to be a war machine. Remember, you haven’t reached full power yet. If you use all the abilities you were designed with, you should become stronger but until then---”

“I know, but I couldn’t just stand by and do nothing. I had to fight!”

X could tell his words upset his friend when Zero’s expression hardened. The red hunter seemed to have a lot on his mind, already struggling with the mess that Sigma left behind when he declared his war on humans. While X had dashed off behind his back, Zero had been the bodyguard for the elderly man responsible for building the reploids that were currently wrecking the city. It was also falling on Zero to locate Sigma’s base of operations, meaning he wouldn’t be able to look out for both X and Dr. Cain when there was only so much time until Sigma’s strongest weapons were operational. 

It had all happened so fast, the leader of the mavericks taking care to keep his plan as private as possible. No one was prepared for the assault, it seemed something had happened that caused the former Commander to announce the attack prematurely. Some of his mechaniloids weren’t completed yet, Zero counting it as dumb luck that they weren’t in the worst possible situation. It was almost insulting how former members of the 17th unit were practically knocking down Zero’s door to ask if he would join their cause last minute, but his best friend couldn’t be bothered to let the red hunter know what he was doing.

“Oh, I see...so you ran out here without even consulting me first, thinking you could take on all 8 elite hunters and Vile by yourself because you had to? You’ve never been able to even handle anyone by yourself, but you and you alone had to go fight all of them.”

Zero pinched the bridge of his nose with his free hand, he had a jumble of emotions that he cursed his creator for implementing into his software. When Dr. Cain told him that X snuck out without telling anyone, he had to search around for his signal while worried the B-ranked hunter had been taken down during the attack. It was already stressful that the Maverick Hunters weren’t operational thanks to Sigma’s coup, if X were to die… Zero didn’t want to think about that, instead lashing out at the blue hunter still recovering from his wounds.

“Why didn’t you call me? We could have come up with a plan!”

X was waiting for his repair system to finish, the energy tank Zero brought for him helping the process. He was still recovering as well from the stab at his confidence, having difficulty pushing aside the way Vile laughed at him for the same reasoning Zero was infuriated by. But he had to do something to stop the mavericks here or there would have been so many lives lost. 

“I didn’t know what else to do...the whole city was being attacked, humans and innocent reploids were being killed! I couldn’t wait for you, I know it was stupid…”

Zero paused at that, blinking in disbelief. Looking around, he realized the town had been evacuated. Most of the attention had been drawn to the blue hunter who had been running all over the place frantically. 

While the cars fled away in the opposite direction, X had been firing at the army of mechaniloids so they would focus on shooting at him instead of the many human occupants. 

One small robot taking on Sigma’s forces....

Zero stared up at the sky while thinking carefully. He would always tell the blue hunter to believe in himself more, it was just nerve wrecking that now of all times he would choose to follow Zero’s advice. Dr. Cain hadn’t been nearly as panicked at X’s recklessness as Zero had been, the red hunter now understanding why that was. He looked back at X, the blue android unsure of what to make of Zero’s expression. 

“You saved all these people.”

In response to the statement, X winked at Zero. There were a lot of injuries and a few reported casualties in this city, but nowhere near as bad as some of the other places had been. He might not have been able to save everyone but he still had to try. The way the red android was looking at him in bewilderment brought back some of his pride.

It had seemed X had done a decent job of directing all the attention on himself, perhaps too good of a job since it also caught Vile’s attention. He didn’t have a plan in mind, knowing well that the reploid was much stronger than himself even without a ride armor. Zero getting there in time was a life saving accident, X really had no idea what he was thinking when he was running through the city. He simply kept moving, feeling as though he had to. Some unknown force making him prioritize saving anyone he could, ignoring the usual urges to avoid violence in his programming.

The recklessness of it all made Zero want to strangle the hunter kneeling on the ground. He threw another energy tank at him instead, his worry for the android winning over his outrage. Those feelings reminded Zero of the fact that he was also different from being a full blown war machine like Vile, he was capable of caring about life forms other than himself even though he would never admit that out loud. Right now he was overflowing with those complex emotions, not knowing how to process the way the blue android could affect his reasoning so irrationally. 

“I’ll never forgive you for making me worry like that.”

X lowered his head, not wanting the red hunter to see how much those words stung. He doubted he would ever get used to Zero lecturing him. It was somehow easier to brush off Sigma calling him an imbecile or his teammates calling him incompetent than it was to hear the concern in the red hunter’s voice. 

However, there was a part of himself that X would never admit to anyone that slightly enjoyed that this side of Zero only would come out with him. Sometimes he wondered if Zero was even aware of that part of himself.

The infamous Red Ripper had a soft spot for him alone.

“...”

“I’m searching for Sigma’s base. If you really think you can handle the 8 elite hunters, then I’ll trust you to take care of it. Leave Vile to me...we still have a score to settle.”

“Zero?”

“You did good out there, X. I’m asking you to be my partner. Dr. Cain is tentatively making me head of our unit, but it’s pointless to call it that when there’s only two of us left.”

X looked up at him at those words. It would be just the two of them having to take down Sigma, the only backup they had was Dr. Cain. The government was spread thin with trying to handle the threat, sadly prioritizing the humans since they were defenseless to most reploid weaponry. It was tough for reploids that weren’t mavericks, seeing as Sigma had a stranglehold on the Maverick Hunters’ resources. 

They had a very slim chance. They would have to take down all of his mavericks, and then figure out how to take out the leader. Afterwards they could get Dr. Cain back in control of the Maverick Hunters and maybe their society could recover from this nightmare. Zero was smiling softly at him now.

“I’d like to fight alongside the hope for humanity.”

X forced himself to stand up so he could look Zero in the face. He was still in his recovery operation but he was almost healed. He downed the second energy tank, preparing himself so he could fight again soon.

“I’ll do it...when you see me next, Zero...I won’t disappoint you. I’m going to get stronger.”

“I know. You might be as strong as me one day, X.”

Those words made X smile. 

That ego… 

What was a source of irritation for other hunters only made X’s attraction to the red hunter increase. X watched Zero’s back at those words, feeling a swirl of emotions as the other rushed off then teleported away. 

He would take down the 8 Mavericks. Then he would reconnect with Zero later and let him know he could carry his own weight. X didn’t want the other to worry over him like that ever again.

He would prove he could be his partner.

And they would save the world.

*****************************************************************************************************

The blue and red reploid stared up at his heroes, his hands under his chin while giving his full attention throughout the entire description. It was much more interesting than the quick report made, X and Zero were infamous for how dryly they would summarize each encounter with Sigma. 

“Wow...I can’t even imagine X losing to anyone in a fight. Vile must have been a pretty strong guy.”

That made Zero grin, it was ancient history at this point that X was once a notorious weak link in their unit. He had come a long way, and it filled Zero with pride. It also made it incredibly entertaining to recount those days where Zero had to beat senseless anyone who would heckle the peace loving small android. 

“Well, he was but that’s besides the point. There’s a reason X was a B-rank for so many years, and it wasn’t just because he was the shortest member of our unit---”

“The DVD player’s fixed, story time's over.”

X had an edge in his voice, not liking having his personal history used against him. It was half hearted, Zero knew he wasn’t in real trouble. X would probably get romantic about their early friendship once they were alone, most likely to promise Zero that they would never separate or something overly sweet like that. For now, he kept up his leader front while Axl was there so the reploid wouldn’t worry. Zero on the other hand had no title to worry about, and as such had nothing to lose.

“What, you don’t want me to tell Axl about all the times I had to beat up Vile for you? Now those were the days, the 17th Elite Unit wasn’t always so easy to get along with. Only the strong could keep up.”

This was piquing Axl’s curiosity more and more. He hung on intently to Zero’s words, the idea of X having trouble with anyone was beyond him. The blue android had such a strong presence now, it was hard to imagine him needing to be protected by anyone.

“Now I’m really curious, who was Vile exactly? And what was X like back then! I wanna know!”

X and Axl watched intently at Zero trying to choose the right words to describe the maverick.

“Vile was X’s childhood bully.”

Axl bursted out into a laughing fit. X slammed the DVD player on the table, to the point where the other robots worried he might have broken it again.

“That’s putting it in extremely light terms.”

“I’m not wrong though.”

Zero laughing away X’s seriousness was annoying the blue hunter. He was starting to catch on to the fact that the red hunter was instigating.

“He tried to kill us so many times!!”

“So it served him right that you paid him back with interest.”

“Zero!”

Axl looked at Zero with the question on his face, grateful that his teammate could read his mind. 

“Vile was a member of the 17th unit that was nastier than most mavericks. He hated anything he saw as weaker than himself, and that included X. Eventually those sentiments extended to hating me since I would always look out for X, and as far as the guy was concerned it was a waste of my skills. X had to take care of him a few times.”

“I got even…”

Zero heard the shift in tone with the way X muttered that. It reminded him of how when the blue android heard the reploid had been rebuilt, he was livid. It was a rare break of his usual pacifism, almost all of the major fighting was handled by the blue hunter during Doppler’s attack but that fight had the blue hunter telling Dr. Cain it was personal. 

Zero hadn’t thought about it much back then, simply slapping X on the back in congratulations for handling it on his own. When he saw Vile’s signal was active, he was worried about X needing back up. By the time he got there, the smaller hunter had taken little damage and was watching the explosion of the maverick. 

It was cryptic how Vile said he would haunt X until the day he died, but it didn’t seem to scare the blue android. He wordlessly teleported out of the region once they confirmed the reploid was destroyed. He didn’t speak with Dr. Cain or Zero until after he had taken down the next of Dr. Doppler’s mavericks. 

That was a difficult battle, but X said at the end he could handle it all so long as Zero was there. Just knowing his partner was a communicator call away made the battle easier than the previous two wars. Zero exhaled; he would think up a way to help his partner forget all about it later, once they had Axl out of the way. 

“Let’s watch the stupid movie already, I’m getting tired.”

“Alright!!!”

“Ok, it should work this time...Zero! You finished all the Zeffers!”

“Cry about it, won’t you?”

“Hey X, are we sure Vile was the childhood bully? Though I guess you two are way too old to remember that much...”

“Axl, would you like to come closer and say that again?”

“Zero, stop!”

*****************************************************************************************************

Once the red and blue reploid was teleporting away, X could breath again. 

The movie was incredibly violent, his teammates seemed to enjoy it but for the blue hunter it was a mentally tasking. It wasn’t fair, they outnumbered him and no one ever wanted to watch the kind of films he liked…

X didn’t have long to pout, Zero wrapped his arms around his waist once Axl’s signal was gone from the region.

“We have unfinished matters to attend to…”

X had to cry out when Zero was lifting him over his shoulder, dashing back up to the room. He was dropped unceremoniously on the recharge station, the red android trapping him as he pulled off his armor. After removing his helmet, Zero kissed him roughly. His hand gripped the back of X’s head, fingers tightening around the brown spikes and making X’s already messy hairstyle more ruffled. He licked his lips when he pulled back, leering at the blue hunter.

“I still don’t forgive you.”

X smiled up at him, less embarrassed about the memory than he was earlier. It was easier to take when it was just the two of them.

“I know, I wouldn’t either. Can I make it up to you? For then and tonight.”

The way the blue android gazed at Zero sweetly, with those green eyes blinking struck a chord in the red hunter’s programming. X didn’t need to make up for anything, and it made Zero burn up inside that he would even think he had to.

He had to pull back to take in his partner. All that was left on his frame was the spandex covering his groin region, X struggling to keep himself in control. Zero had rid himself of most of his own covering along the way, in an equal state of vulnerability. 

Something in the combat android’s chest made him lean more towards being affectionate. He placed his hands on the sides of X’s head, cradling it lightly. Zero leaned down to press his forehead against the other, whispering out a hushed reply. 

“Whatever you want, X.”

Zero leaned down to kiss him again, much softer this time. X moaned, his arms wrapping around his partners neck so he could press more of his body against the other. Zero was being so nice and it was making him melt, not realizing the tender display of the other’s feelings was also fueling his arousal.

Unconsciously, X’s hips had started moving against Zero’s. They ground their erections, X ripping off Zero’s last remaining garb and the kiss getting sloppier because of the added stimulation. 

Zero trailed his mouth downward, X moaning loudly as his partner seemed intent on kissing and licking at whatever skin was in front of him. He paused at his neck, biting hard at the junction leading to his collar and smirking when X whimpered with desire. When he got to his groin, he tugged down his spandex to expose his erection. 

The phallus was at its full state, bobbing once freed from the constraints. Zero bent down to envelope it with his mouth, sucking the parts of the length he could fit into it. He listened closely to every sound X made, his hands wandering to stroke X’s thighs while he tried to bring him to completion. He squeezed the flesh between his hands, liking the way X was vocalizing his pleasure from his touch. 

The blue hunter didn’t seem to like this plan, though, even if it felt incredible and he was getting close to his end. He wanted to be inside of his partner, it wasn’t good if only one of them got off. He pulled Zero by his hair, not realizing he tugged harsher than intended. The pained sound Zero made had the blue hunter feeling especially awful. 

Zero glared up at him once he recovered from his shock, X pulling the red android back on top of himself so he could rub his head. 

“Sorry, buddy, didn’t mean to be so rough…Can we finish up already?”

The red hunter laughed at his partner’s phrasing, he might as well have been asking if they could finish a sparring match. He fought down the urge to make a rude remark, the android was looking up at him with complete trust and admiration. It made it difficult to be mean. 

“Yes X, of course we can.”

Without much preamble, Zero was lightly pushing his partner onto his back so he could press his entrance down onto the other android’s phallus. He was grateful that it was still stretched from their previous attempt at love making, not needing much preamble when enveloping the erection.

“-A-Ahh, Zero!”

“Easy! Ah, X!”

“Zero!”

The blue android tried to press up harder, but it was odd how Zero seemed to ease off whenever he tried to thrust rougher. It seemed the other was content to take it at his own pace, leaning down to hush whatever questions X might have down by kissing him softly. 

X started to catch on to it from the way Zero was rolling his hips, rhythmically pressing himself up to match his movements. He was moaning against Zero’s mouth, it would take a while to reach their end at this rate but it felt so good that he didn’t mind. His hands went to Zero’s waist, helping the android on the swing downward and loving the way it had his partner crying out. 

“X! H-hold up, don’t move!”

X halted his actions, curious as to why his partner was stopping them completely. Seeing as how the other had been tightening, he was sure that they were both in a similar state of getting off. 

“...”

“Are you ok?”

Of course X wasn’t angry with him for stopping, the only emotion behind those words was concern over Zero’s wellbeing. He didn’t think X was even capable of being angry with him for anything, he could probably walk out right now and the android wouldn’t give him any trouble for it. The red hunter sat himself upright, swearing under his breath when X’s length throbbed inside him from the movement. 

“I’m fine! I…”

Zero hand his hands balled up into fists on X’s chest. He was right there, having almost climaxed with that previous thrust but something strange was happening. Whereas earlier he wanted nothing more than to go at it rabidly with his partner, after hours of emotional bonding with those annoying robots that had forced him to make friends…

He was pissed at X and Axl for changing him. Also Dr. Cain, the annoying old man said he couldn’t change the code in his software but he didn’t have to. He was also angry at the human components of his programming overlapping with the upgrades to his software, making him even capable of love making. He wanted to finish but he also wanted to spend as much time as possible making the android he was riding feel good, causing him instead to do nothing while sitting on his partner’s phallus. 

X saw there was a dilemma going on with his partner, having realized the other was trying so hard to comfort the blue android. He leaned up to kiss Zero, hugging him close. And he would always say X was the one that was too soft...

“Thank you, I can take care of things from here.”

“I--you don’t have to…just--I--”

X kissed him again, silencing the jumbled attempt Zero was making to phrase what was wrong with him.

“I want to.”

He lifted them both up, leaning Zero against the wall behind them and gripping his hips. His pace quickened, snapping upwards and pressing Zero down so he would feel the weight of each thrust to the fullest. 

He could tell the other reached his climax from how he was tightening, but when X tried to pull away, Zero dug his hands into his back. He wrapped his legs around X’s hips to trap him. 

“Don’t you dare stop!”

Zero smirked at his partner briefly before going back to yelling himself hoarse as X returned to moving his hips in and out of the trembling android. X came soon after, screaming while erratically bucking into his partner. He gripped onto his hips and thighs to ground himself. 

“Zeroo!”

It was enough to get the red android to climax again, shouting his release. The momentum from the two moving too quickly made X slip, Zero still holding him tightly as they fell over the side of the recharge station.

When they finished tumbling, Zero perched himself on top of X in concern. He noted that his partner was rubbing the side of his neck with a pained expression on his face. The red hunter’s worry grew from there. 

“X, are you alright?”

He placed a hand on the other’s arm, X discretely peering up at the soft look in his eyes that rarely would appear on Zero’s face. 

“....”

“X?”

“... I think you left a hickey there.”

The android half heartedly swatted at X’s chest, the blue hunter snickering at his friend’s tendency to worry about his well being too much. He pulled Zero down to kiss him again, pulling back so he could look at his face.

“You know we’re too old to use the ‘a mosquito bit me in the swamp level’ excuse…”

“Hold up. I never would do that, that was all you. I had nothing to hide.”

X smiled at his partner, he didn’t want to point out how the other would guiltily try to avoid the subject when he was alone with Iris from his partner. He had told the hunter he didn’t mind back then, Zero still feeling awkward about the whole thing. X would let it slide this time.

“Right, because you never care what people think.”

“Exactly.”

Zero leaned down to kiss his partner, placing another on the wound he left in apology. He pulled back up to watch his partner’s face. X was feeling too many emotions, it could’ve been the post climax sensations heightening those sentiments but he felt like he was choking. Looking at his partner, he placed his hand on Zero’s cheek.

“I know you. You can say you’re combat android all you want, but you’re more than that.”

“...”

“You always give me a hard time for having a big heart...I’d wager if we looked at your track record, you’ll find you’re as guilty as I am.”

The blue hunter noticed that Zero had gone expressionless after his previous comment. He didn’t press the issue, instead moving himself so he could embrace his partner. Zero didn’t respond, wrapping his arms around X's waist to hold him closer. 

“Thank you for always being there for me, Zero.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dr. Zeffer’s taste like Dr. Zevia, not Dr. Pepper. Yes, there is a difference and it’s relevant. I’m not creative at all and I’m fully aware of this. The idea of X3 taking place on Christmas wasn’t my own, that was the rockman x3 manga. Don’t read that part unless you want to see some pure stupidity, cause holy shit…
> 
> A lot of liberties were taken with in game dialogue because it’s fun. Look at what they did to Maverick Hunter X’s version:
> 
> X: Let’s hook up later :D
> 
> Zero: *turns around in shame, doesn’t dignify him with a response*
> 
> The writers had to have known ‘hooking up’ can mean something completely different and they’re just fucking with me.
> 
> Irregular Hunter X is also a fun read for similar reasons and also inspires me, X is adorable in how he just has to go ‘You’re great Zero, also I’ll beat up anyone who says otherwise.’ It helps me visualize how X is as a character when the games sometimes lack in that department, and there are some really moving scenes in between some hilariously weird moments. Thinking about and playing through X1-X3 always give me too many feels, tho, the simplicity managed to speak volumes for the world these games take place in.


	6. Chapter 6

Zero had an expression that none of his friends could read, holding up the box that contained his new device. The Lifesaver that offered to help him install the equipment had been promptly shoved aside, the red hunter saying he would do it later with an air of dismissiveness that would have shut up a normal reploid. That led to the group of his trusted friends following him all the way up to the sliding doors of the main entrance, talking among themselves as well as the long haired android about the risks of waiting past the advised date. It wasn’t a laughing matter and his teammates were asked to remind him of that fact by Signas once it became clear Zero needed some convincing.

Alia said he shouldn’t act like a fresh batch of reploids about it when he was happy to jump into all kinds of life threatening situations. It was a routine maintenance that would only help his body function better. If he didn’t want a Lifesaver to do it, she was glad to set aside some time to take care of it tomorrow morning. Axl thought it was hilarious, commenting that it was no biggie letting the Lifesavers poke around under the hood. They’d always give him a good polish while he was put under, saying he was a pleasure to work with. Zero could certainly do some good buffing out some of those scratches.

Zero replied that he might as well be given a lollipop as a consolation prize. His hardware was fine, he would put in the device later when he wasn’t dead tired from work. He liked being able to wake up and find everything was the same as when he closed his eyes. When Alia kept talking and reminding him that his buster hadn’t been used in years because of that type of reasoning, he dashed off. 

She watched with concern, turning around when X put a hand on her shoulder.

“I hate when he does that. I don’t know how you have so much patience...”

It made X grin when she said that. He didn’t like it either, but then again there weren’t any reploids who had a longer history of dealing with the red hunter. He knew when Zero was doing it to be intentionally cold; this wasn’t one of those occasions. 

“It’s fine, he’ll get it done soon enough. I’m going to rush over before he teleports so he doesn’t have to go home alone, I’m sure I can convince him to get it done tomorrow with you.”

“And where is that, exactly?”

She was smiling innocently at him. He made no reply to the question, removing his hand from her so he could input the appointment in their system’s calendar.

“I’ll see you later, Alia. I’m setting it up for tomorrow at 10 AM.”

He closed off the screen from his arm, nodding at her and Axl before running off. She waved at him, his stoic expression not fooling her for a second. He didn’t believe his acting anymore either, but he didn’t have to worry so much about that with her. 

He followed his partner’s signal, realizing that he was heading off in a direction the blue hunter knew all too well. It relieved some of his stress from the day when he noticed that his partner had intentionally gone slower than his usual speed so X could follow his trail. It was late, so the streets were almost completely empty save for a few cars driving along. He couldn’t hear Zero, but he knew he was running only a few yards ahead.

Of course Zero liked that X would chase after him. He must have been counting on it.

Once they arrived, it didn’t shock the commander for the 17th unit when his partner abruptly cut off his signal. X understood his implication and turned off his own signal in reply. He would have to rely on his vision at this point, a former training exercise for new hunters if their servers were compromised. 

He scanned around for his partner, registering that his visual processors had adjusted to a sensitive level. It was reassuring that he could feel his presence close by, X picked up on the fact that he wasn’t being as stealthy as he would back when he would help train the smaller android.

Realistically, Zero shouldn’t have any issue getting the update to his internal hardware. He knew it was difficult for his partner to feel comfortable, it was only fair that a hunter who had been so reliable in saving the world in the past be given more of a break. X would still do his best to reason with him that he should probably at least relent when it came to his system notifications. They would go to a place where he would be completely at ease for the night, then jump into the conversation when he was ready. 

They had stopped just outside his home, interesting that Zero’s default was X’s versus his own when this was one of those nights that Axl would be off on his own mission. Perhaps he chose this place because he had so many remnants of his presence inside X’s home. Off the top of X’s head, he could think of several; leftover under armor, a new sword that the red android was excited to show his partner but promptly tossed to the side once X started undressing, spare parts for maintenance he would perform in the middle of the night while they were talking. That was just to name a few. 

He was fine with the invasion, he liked that Zero wasn’t shy with taking advantage of X’s hospitality. For Zero, it overjoyed the blue android that he could provide him comfort when he was sure it was difficult for him to relax anywhere. Truthfully, he liked the fact that his partner was spending nights with him more frequently. Whether it was because this time of peace was still going on or because he was getting more comfortable with this part of their relationship, X couldn’t say for certain. 

“I didn’t think you were in the mood for games. You can come out now, we’re alone.”

There were no sounds in the night air, meaning the other was probably smirking to himself while he watched X from his hiding spot. X moved his head around, his audio processors on high alert to any type of sound wave. His partner was flexing his stealth capabilities at this point; a slight annoyance when it would ease the other hunter’s nerves if he would just go through with the procedure.

“I know you don’t like getting opened up that much, but you can’t mess around with the chemical components. It’s a quick process, Alia says she could do it in her sleep.”

There was a laugh that was dripping with condescension. X could almost picture the hunter looking down on him, most likely with the usual intensity in his eyes.

“Then you do it.”

X sighed heavily. The deflection stopped being cute long ago. 

“I did mine on the exact date the mechanism told me to. You could’ve done the same. She’ll take care of you tomorrow morning, so be on time.”

It was silent again after that, X thinking that maybe Zero had left after all. After some time adjusting to the quiet, he realized he could hear him moving slightly. His partner was still here, exhaling in a way that told X he was struggling to talk about this at all.

“That’s not what I meant. I want you to do it.”

The blue bomber tilted his head, looking every bit as confused as he felt. Zero wasn’t being clear or maybe he was and X was just especially dense after 10 hours of bureaucratic busy work with Signas.

From above, hovering in a place where if X were to just shift his head slightly he would spot him instantly, the red hunter smiled as he watched the way the android furrowed his brow. He had to smile when X’s eyes went wide, the meaning suddenly becoming clear. The rash thinking of it all must have caught up with him when his expression hardened just as quickly.

“That’s not where I’m---I don’t have clearance for that type of work.”

Without missing a beat, Zero’s reply came out mechanically. 

“You never used that excuse on me before.”

X saw his partner jump down from his post, landing several feet in front of himself. The only lights in the dark area were the ones glowing from the gems on his armor. He folded his arms over his chest, fighting down the urge to smile when he noted X was glaring at him. 

Among other things they would do together when they were alone, there was something intimate about having the red hunter gently locking into place buster adjustments for the smaller android. X had done the same for minor implants, having seen some glimpses of Zero’s internal structure even before the red hunter could be able to register it. They had a better understanding to their respective hardware than most reploids could say, it was beneficial when they first realized that their frames could be a source of confusion for their scientists. 

That didn’t make X any less nervous about being asked to open up his partner’s more delicate mechanism. This was a specialized feature that if cracked or improperly handled, the fluids could ruin the other devices inside. X would never ask a hunter that wasn’t assigned to maintenance to take over this kind of task. It was crossing into territory that X would hand off to Dr. Cain back when they didn’t have their current resources.

X could only theorize why his partner was alright with having someone under qualified doing this task. X might have done some light assistance with the doctor when they didn’t have any other choice but they had a surplus of capable mechanics now. He didn’t know what to make of his partner looking at him with so much trust. He closed his eyes, frowning deeply.

“Well this is where I have to bring it up. I don’t know if I can do this for you, Zero… I can watch guard like I did when we got our lower halves done, if that makes it any easier.”

“...You know that’s different. The last person who did this was him. I can put myself to sleep, if you prefer.”

It was breaking X’s resolve when he heard the detachment that Zero was forcing into his voice as he spoke. 

“No, of course not. You can stay awake for the whole thing if you want.”

He didn’t want to mention that opening up his partner’s chest when he was in a lifeless state creeped him out. X didn’t know which time frame he considered to be the absolute worst of his life. He couldn’t really compare when each was so distinct. The helpless feeling it gave him was especially prevalent in his younger days, back when being a commander felt new and he struggled to learn how to be a leader while juggling a guilty conscience. There were voices in the background feeding into his insecurities. That was when X learned firsthand the leader of the Mavericks enjoyed manipulating his emotions as much as he did destruction. 

Zero was still looking at him blankly, why did he need to make this so difficult?

“If there’s something else you’re not telling me, like why you don’t trust our Lifesavers, you should probably say it now.”

The taller android didn’t seem to like his choice of words, looking at the ground and going mute.

“....”

The blue hunter clenched his hands into fists, feeling increasingly useless and not liking that he couldn’t do anything for his best friend. X didn’t mean for his voice to tremble slightly when he spoke again.

“I can’t help you unless you talk to me.”

That made Zero lower his head further, he closed his eyes. 

The other wouldn’t open up and X felt bad for letting his emotions get the better of him like that. He shouldn’t push his partner to disclose anything that was uncomfortable. The request he was making was already a difficult one. 

X went over to stand in front of his partner, putting a hand on one of his forearms. He looked at the armored limb, remembering that the design had been modified slightly when it was rebuilt the first time.The silver plating on his wrists were rectangular when they first met, they had sharp points over his knuckle now. He stroked at it, trying to think of a way to share his fears with his partner without making him feel guilty for asking for help.

“There’s a chance I could screw something up...”

There was laughter dismissing X’s concerns. He uncrossed an arm so he could hold the hand that X was using to touch him.

“Wouldn’t be the first time you took care of me.”

He grit his teeth at the flippant way his partner said that. He glared at him but let the taller android kiss his forehead. Zero’s free hand went up to stroke the side of his face. 

“I’m asking you because there’s no one I trust in more. I’ve never been wrong to put my faith in you.” Zero clarified, but it didn’t make X any less upset. 

“Why not Alia? I trust her!”

Zero released a breath, letting go of X’s hand.

“…”

The silence that followed annoyed X but it was suspicious that Zero was deflecting so much. It wasn’t just that he didn’t like the procedure, there was something else at work.

He could see that Zero wasn’t just being stubborn, he was legitimately uncomfortable with something related to the entire ordeal. X knew he trusted Alia at least, so it wasn’t just suspicion with their mechanics holding him back. His partner wouldn’t be pushing this request if it was something he could brush aside.

If X were to mess up….

Zero would be alright with it if X were the one who made the mistake. That’s what he was trying to convey, even though there would be less room for those types of errors if he just let the appropriate machine do the procedure. It was a very human response to have; to choose a less competent but more trusted family doctor over a specialist. X could understand that kind of irrational fear when he thought of it that way. It was hard for him to accept, he always saw Zero as so brave and his will stronger than his own. Of course he had his limits, and X was glad he could recognize them better at this stage of their relationship. His fear was getting overshadowed by the fact that his partner was trusting him with this type of emotional vulnerability.

He felt himself relax with a new resolve. If it made Zero feel a bit better having his partner take care of him instead of a stranger or even their friends, then he would be strong for him and get the job done. X could do that much for him. He picked up Zero’s hands, gripping them tightly.

It would be fine, X had helped him with other implants before. He swallowed deeply as they went inside his home, walking over to get the equipment he would need to open up his partner’s chest coverings. He cleared off his work bench as well, placing the box with the device on one end while he laid out the rest of his tools. 

He was getting an eerie feeling about the entire endeavor. He tried to shake off the distracting thoughts, reminding himself he needed to be at full concentration.

He tried to collect his confidence in preparation as he watched his partner undressing in the living room. It wasn’t necessary to remove his other armor, only his chest was needed to be left vulnerable, but when he noticed X was staring at him he went slower in removing the material of his under armor. He hooked a thumb on his spandex, grinning when he saw X almost drop a screw driver when he started to pull them off. 

The blue hunter shook his head, his mind wasn’t completely clear from all his worries but it was less jumbled than it had been before. If he wanted to be successful, he had to believe that he was capable of carrying out the task.

Zero’s body unsurprisingly held a high pain tolerance even without his major armor protecting it. Probably an intentional design choice from his creator to dissuade his machine from choosing a more peaceful outlook on life, the red hunter would brag about being able to do his job naked if he really wanted to back in their early days. It was most likely an oversight on the unknown scientist’s part that his creation would end up with free will. The combat android had to rely on knowledge of his body’s limits in tandem with his pain receptors. When X learned it wasn’t that Zero had stronger armor but instead didn’t register pain as well himself that allowed the hunter to endure more brutal missions; that was when he started to worry over the red hunter in a way that his partner said could be overbearing. He couldn’t help it, not when he had seen the powerful robot in his most broken state.

Once X was done laying out all of the necessary items, he brought over a work chair. He glanced over at Zero, feeling off with being the only one still armored. X decided to follow his lead and do the same for no reason other than it was comforting being bare together. He felt better seeing the way the other’s posture relaxed at their mutual vulnerability.

It was feeling less like a clinical procedure. X felt the heat rising to his face when the other whistled at him as he removed his last bit of under armor. Once completely bare, they stared at each other until X turned around to lead them both to the work station.

He situated himself on the chair and motioned for Zero to sit on his lap. X’s anxiety spiked again when he was being hugged after the red hunter placed himself on the smaller android, placing his hands to grip at X's shoulders for support. The taller hunter felt X’s hands lifting his thighs to wrap his legs around his hips, gently pushing his stomach to make some space so he could start the process. 

X must have watched similar procedures dozens of times at much lower stakes, he was fascinated by it even if it wasn’t a friend’s body being opened. It was bittersweet when Dr. Cain would tell him it was possible his own might’ve been planned to be a non combatant at some point, seeing as how adept he was with other operations. Whatever had changed Dr. Light’s mind made the hunter question his existence. He didn’t have long to ponder when he located the hidden latch that opened the flexible, metallic skin of his treasured friend. 

Slightly different than his own, though they both had an outer skin that was made of a metal alloy that was worn down to be soft to touch. Whatever material X’s creator had used felt sturdier, acting as a damper from impacts. The delicate nerve endings were more to remind the android he shouldn’t ever get careless. X could only theorize what Zero’s creators intentions were.

The pectorals and taut, defined torso held no functionality for combat. What purpose to design the physical appearance in this way, including the iconic long hair, X couldn’t place. In his own case, the blue hunter had discussions with Dr. Cain and it usually stemmed down to Dr. Light wanting X to fit in among humans. It made the hunter wonder if his creator would even consider X would have those parts down below and have different types of relationships someday, seeing as how easily the upgrade implemented itself into his hardware and software. 

There was a shadow of those sensations before the changes were made. X came to that conclusion when the urge to kiss Zero that first time so long ago seemed to occur out of nowhere. There were definite tingles when they were in close proximity before that moment, and it was no secret to the doctor helping him find his place in the world of reploids that he was fond of the high ranking hunter. From what X heard in passing, he wasn’t alone in that aspect.

Alia also admitted to experiencing something similar with her former colleague, stating it was easy to ignore as a simple accident from mimicking X’s original framework. It wasn’t like emotional bonds were a bad thing for reploids, it was just important to remember who it was directed at and if it would interfere with more pressing matters. The way she said that made X think she was looking right through him. It might have been because they had similar experiences with a colleague where their emotions dipped outside of professionalism long ago. 

He doubted when programming that part into his system, Dr. Light was thinking it would react with someone like the proud warrior. Even though others had difficulty trusting him when he had such a conflicting history, he hoped that since the Light capsules usually treated Zero without distrust there wasn’t a rule being broken. Least, that was as close as he would ever get to parental approval. 

The same couldn’t be said on his partner’s end. 

When he first learned of the implants, X immediately researched them extensively. All the programming and attachments that had to be implemented, it was all incredibly intricate. It made sense, though the function that made it more difficult for humans was no such worry for reploids. Children couldn’t be made this way, it was purely as a means for making reploids feel better about themselves and potentially used with their romantic partners. 

The idea of it all, not to mention the fact that it would give him the option to act on those tingles, had him obsessed with his research. There were several times he found himself getting overstimulated. To actually be able to carry through with something so ‘human’ was exciting.

What X liked the most was the privacy behind it. If a reploid simply wanted the attachment for their own enjoyment with others, that was fine. No questions were asked, it was all done completely anonymously. There were protections made for reploids, probably because it was a feature humans could understand and it was completely harmless. That made it easier to sell Zero on the idea, though X was slightly nervous even bringing it up. 

It was hard to tell if his partner knew he sounded dismissive or he was just responding automatically in certain cases. Most notably was when X was curious if his partner ever felt those urges as well. Long before X even acted on his feelings for his best friend, he had to ask Dr. Cain if it was common among reploids. He explained that it was fascinating that X could, but he didn’t think it was especially common. There were most likely some who could, but equally likely there were many that couldn’t. 

Dr. Cain hadn’t been thinking about having robots that would want to ‘mate’ but couldn’t running around, though their current results made it clear there many things the doctor didn’t understand about his machines. That was when he first learned Zero wasn’t built by the doctor, and that…

He wasn’t sure how to feel then. His partner wouldn’t tell him anything further for a long time, but even then it was barely anything. Ironically, he learned more about Zero’s past from Sigma than from Zero. 

When he asked if Zero ever felt anything like he did, the urge to ….

He wanted to say love, but knew better than to say that, instead trailing off. Zero got some sort of meaning from it, instead sighing and telling X he was spending too much time with the old pervert. No, he didn’t get longings or urges or whatever human sensation made them act so odd. And he was grateful for it, hunters had no reason to get distracted with outside relationships. 

Years after their first kiss, Zero apologized for the curt words. It surprised X he even remembered at all. He thought for sure his partner hadn’t noticed the way his words hurt his feelings, even odder that he would bring it up when they were in the middle of the taller hunter kissing him senseless. He was touched by that, returning back to making out with renewed intensity. It wasn’t that Zero didn’t feel them at all, he just hadn’t felt them yet. X taught him to. He was grateful for that and that he could trust the hunter to see that side of himself. 

A hand that was on X’s shoulder reflexively shot up to grip his wrist when the blue hunter touched a sensitive component in Zero’s chest. It reminded him of how even when his partner was passed out, he was still holding his hand in a death grip during their upgrades. Even when he trusted the shorter android with his life, he couldn’t fight against certain aspects of his programming that refused to relax, regardless of the threat level. Perhaps that was why he didn’t want a Lifesaver doing this. If the red hunter were to accidentally lash out, it wouldn’t look good given his track record...

X couldn’t deny it. Zero was created with the purpose of destruction in mind, but then why make an android capable of smiling so warmly? Why give him a face that X liked to stroke and kiss; to hold between his hands. Why have it within Zero’s range of emotions to return the gesture, or even knowing how to do others. Why have him playfully squeezing X’s thighs when they sat together and no one was looking, or winking suggestively before they could even make good on those suggestions.

Why give him a soft, almost always pouted mouth that X liked pressing his own against. 

Why make him respond to those affections by moaning happily against his lips… 

Or have that impulse to go further, biting along X’s neck and collar while humming into his skin. Why would a war machine enjoy settling his body between the other’s thighs while he made out with the smaller android until his lips were red and his eyes glazed over...

Was it so simple as learned behavior from X and others? If he was meant to be that adaptable to any situation, what else could he learn?

What was X’s purpose? And what did that mean for Zero’s? 

There wasn’t that same intention as his creator had left behind, and that had the blue hunter feeling an ache as he flicked a switch to turn on one of the light sources inside Zero’s chest cavity. With the better view of his framework, he steadied the device in his other hand in preparation. He felt Zero tensing lightly when he started to unhook devices inside his frame.

X went into autopilot, wanting to get through the procedure as carefully but efficiently as possible. After inserting the capsule replacement for his energy balancer, X could relax. He smiled when he realized he was done and nothing went wrong. It had been one thing telling Zero this procedure was nothing to worry about, but now he could really say that. 

It was like changing batteries, humorously enough. Incredibly delicate and much larger batteries that required a steady hand, near perfect visual processors, and programming oriented to detail. It would do well in handling the current pulsing through the circuitry. That would buy Zero around 5 years before they had to do the process all over again.

Putting back in the metal covering then the flexible metal skin outer layer, he stroked at his partner’s chest reassuringly as well as making sure the synthetic skin had been inserted properly. Zero placed a hand over X’s once he was finished, squeezing it lightly.

“I should be leaving soon.”

How could he respond to that? Zero was looking at him blankly and he didn’t want to say out loud that he would like to keep him close by. He put his other arm around Zero’s lower back to hug him. 

“I take it you don’t want me to…”

He murmured while pressing his chin over X’s head. 

X held him closer, liking the way the sturdy hardware covered by synthetic skin felt against his cheek. He could hear the light humming of his internal structure at work, a remnant of both the red hunter’s creator, modifications from the X-hunters, and Dr. Cain’s repair job. He pressed a kiss on his chest.

“That’s not an answer, X.”

“...”

“I caused you enough trouble already. I can’t be with you every night...”

The tone Zero was using was off, X had barely caught it in that last sentence. He leaned his head up, putting his mouth next to the taller android’s ear.

“But do you want to stay?”

He sighed, not wanting to admit to anyone out loud that yes, he felt better being held like this by his partner. It made him relax in a way that was rare for himself having X’s presence and he liked the freedom to come and go as he pleased. 

“Maybe… there are some perks to you liking me for my body.”

It made the shorter android smile, putting his free hand on his partner’s chin so he could tilt his head and press their mouths together.

The hand that was on top of X’s was guiding the blue hunter’s down below, pressing it against his groin. He got the message, his partner didn’t want to go just yet and he preferred X to distract him from his worries. He gripped the erection, feeling his own stirring because of their present position. He stroked the phallus softly, then abruptly squeezed it. He smiled when Zero’s own hands moved up to grab his wrist, encouraging the other to jerk him off faster. Both of his hands went to X’s arms when digits were being inserted into his entrance, pressing his hips backwards to fill himself faster.

X understood very well why this part of his partner was constructed. He wanted to be able to connect in a different way. Though he liked what they were capable of doing before and often was content with even after they had the attachments put inside of their hardware, Zero had no regrets agreeing to it when he saw how happy it made his partner. Everything after was a bonus, like the way X was intensely watching his body react to having his erection and internal structure being played with.

A third finger was pressed in and Zero was mewling. His hips met his hand each time he was pressing into the region, X licked his lips as he helped Zero reach his limit. The way he was moving his hips against X’s lap felt great on his erection, so it wasn’t like he wasn’t getting off on this. There was something incredibly arousing in watching the way the other moved his groin back and forth, arching when X curled his fingers. 

He ground his phallus against Zero’s thighs, admiring the way the other pressed back and seemed to be trying to entice X to penetrate him. He always enjoyed watching how fluid-like Zero’s movements could be, he just never would’ve thought that would include writhing in his lap. He couldn’t take his eyes off him.

“Ah...j-just...you can put it in, X...Ah!”

X had to wonder how close he was to climaxing from just this, it sparked his curiosity. He slowed down his movements, focusing more on force instead of speed.

“Let me help you out first… does this feel good?”

He took his time probing along the inner walls. It would stretch and give way, but overall remained resilient. The insides were tightening then relaxing, holding the digits when they grazed one of his more pleasurable points. All the while X’s other hand wouldn’t stop moving either. He couldn’t decide, going from stroking and squeezing the firm thighs, to cupping the curve of his partner’s lower back that was arched to press his lower region against X’s each time he was filled. 

The noises were lewd, both from how wet his insides were and the moans that wouldn’t stop coming out. The taller hunter was panting, he was being handled so attentively and it was turning him on further having X treat his framework with such devoted interest. 

He was enamored solely by the combat android’s pleasure. The red hunter could understand that reasoning, making a mental note to pay him back ten-fold next time, especially when the android was patting the side of his thigh approvingly when he picked up speed. He couldn’t focus for long, crying out loud when X grabbed his ass to press him down hard enough that he could feel the knuckle of the hand thrusting into him. 

“X---mmph!”

The other hunter silenced his partner by pressing his head up to kiss him, increasing the speed of his hand. When the insides were clamping down on his fingers, he let Zero go so he could watch him cry out. X was happy he wasn’t so worked over that he couldn’t look at the display in its entirety. He didn’t get to see his partner’s climax that well when he was dealing with his own, so this was a nice change even if he was harder than a rock. It was turning out to be a worthwhile experiment.

The taller android had gone limp on top of him. He let out a gasp when he felt X moving his hand again.

“W-wait! Hold up -e-E-X! Ah!”

He wasn’t given much time to recover, X was already thrusting his hand rhythmically to work him towards completion again. Without realizing it, Zero’s hips were meeting the movements, having an easier time enveloping the digits when he was loosened from his previous climax.

It was good but it wasn’t exactly what he wanted. That last one wasn’t nearly as satisfying as when X used his phallus and it was annoying that the hunter wasn’t pressing into him even when Zero was crushing it with his hips. 

“X! Just-----Ah---X!”

“Shhh... if you come again, maybe I’ll give you what you want.”

Those words had the red hunter shuddering, moving his hips desperately. He had to wonder why this was turning him on so much, feeling his erection throb at X’s tone. If he didn’t know his partner so well, he would almost think this was a punishment. 

But X wasn’t like that, he was probably just wanting to make the red hunter feel as good as possible by extending their session after that stressful moment. So disgustingly sweet, Zero gave in to the urge pressing a kiss against his temple and whispering how beautiful X was, how wonderful he felt, how he was making Zero’s insides feel like they were being pushed beyond their limits... 

The string of broken dialogue might have been enough to break X’s resolve to get Zero to come again without using his own upgrade, deciding not to and instead kissing his partner. He moved his lips slowly, replying back that he loved him.

An odd contrast to the other’s free hand blatantly copping a feel before lowering from his ass to his thigh again. Just like with everything he did, ranging from gentle when there wasn’t a mission then using force when necessary. The red hunter moaned when he felt the digits striking a cluster of nerves, arching his back into it.

“That’s good...just like that, Zero.”

“X… mmmf, right there!”

“You can stop me at any time you don’t like this.”

“X! Ah-----------X!”

“How can you still be so tight… you might rip my fingers off. Must feel really good.”

“....!!!! X!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh, X!!”

“Do you like this, Zero?”

“X!!!!!”

“Want me to keep going?”

“!!!!!!!”

“Let it go, come for me!”

Zero went silent as his orgasm tore through him again, arching his back while X continued to move his hand, fucking him through the whole thing. It was better than the last one, but now he really wanted the hunter he was sitting on inside him. He tried to grind his hips backwards, his backside going flush against his partner’s erection. He released a breath of frustration when even that didn’t work, the other was getting used to his tricks. 

X pulled his hair to get the red hunter to lean his head back, moving the hand over to stroke his neck as he pressed his face against Zero’s skin.

“That was good. But I don’t know if we should continue…Do you want me, Zero?”

Zero grit his teeth, his eyes narrowed. X was kissing along his neck, burrowing his face against the crook and breathing in his partner. He had to whine when he could feel the other rocking his lower half against his own, his crotch was so wet that he was lubricating his phallus unintentionally. 

“X...I’m---I’m”

“Zero?”

He pressed his cheek against the other, Zero nuzzling back so their noses were brushing.

“X, I’m at my limit…”

Somehow, having one of X’s hands still inside him while the other made him arch his back by tugging his hair was too much. All of this was too much, he was moaning weakly as he went limp.

That was different. It had the blue hunter hesitating, thinking maybe he had gone too far. He released his grip on the other’s hair and removed the other hand, using both to stroke the side of his face gently.

“Zero? You alright?”

The hunter on his lap looked at X directly, the shorter android realizing it was something else that was making his partner weak.

“P-----please…...”

Something snapped. Zero yelped when he was being lifted up and X ran over while carrying him to the recharge station.

He was placed gently, Zero looking up at his partner when he was laid down. He wasn’t completely on it, his legs were dangling over. X’s hand wandered to stroke the chest again, almost as though he was double checking that it was closed properly.

The taller android realized X placed him this way so he could lift one of his legs onto his shoulder. It was a slightly awkward angle, forcing Zero’s lower half to be up in the air. There was absolutely no reason for that hand from before to drift down and insert itself into his entrance again, Zero glaring up at his partner.

“What is it--?”

“Shh…you’ll see.”

His eyes widened when X’s other hand wandered over, spreading the skin. He was aligning his erection, sliding in the head then moving his hands over to hold Zero’s hips steady as he pushed more inside. He bit his lip at the way he was being pulled by the internal structure, remaining still once his phallus was fully enveloped.

It was difficult going so slow when inserting himself, choking back a groan when the walls were clenching around him. How could his partner still be gripping him like this, after all that previous teasing to his inner walls…

The delicate internal organ was tightening and sucking on the phallus, X didn’t mean to start thrusting so roughly but he couldn’t help himself. Zero felt so good, he wanted to take his time but after having watched that display of his partner’s enjoyment, he couldn’t hold back any longer. He whimpered when the other squeezed around him as he struck a delicate spot, his hips moving desperately to fill the body below. 

Zero’s mind was at a complete blank, his head thrown back at how roughly X was fucking him. This was what he wanted, the android above him thrusting relentlessly. He trembled when X was leaning over to press against his body as he increased his speed, feeling the hot air from X moaning and panting so close to his face. Zero’s limbs were being strained at the awkward position but somehow having the strength to meet X’s hips with his own. 

“---Tell me to stop----Aaah!”

“-----X!!!! Oh……….”

“Nnnnn…….You shouldn’t…........----It’s like you were made for me….”

“X! Ah! Don’t stop!”

“I’m going to come, Zero!”

“Please!”

“I can’t stop!”

“X!!”

One last thrust, and he was arching himself to press hard into Zero as he came. They were both yelling, Zero’s cries were incomprehensible. From what X was aware of, he might have said ‘X breaking inside’. It was mixed with a lust filled request to go harder, so X dismissed it during his orgasm. He wouldn’t follow through on that one but he couldn’t be certain that was what his partner meant when it was all so broken up from the static overload.

While he was panting and trying to regain clarity, he realized Zero was still trying to speak.

“-E-e-X----….something inside...br………..”

The shorter android’s eyes went wide, horrified when he pulled out to verify. 

He was right. There was ‘blood’, not enough to be a huge cause for concern but enough to make X feel suddenly sick. The reploid internal fluid meant for repairing cuts and or skin punctures couldn’t be seen on Zero’s internal structure but there were remnants on X’s phallus. And after he thought he had successfully avoided hurting his partner for the night…

He was moving himself away, sitting on his knees against the floor while one of his hands covered his face. He couldn’t believe he let himself get this reckless, he thought all the extra preparation would make him less likely to tear but it might’ve had the opposite effect. 

Zero sat up, feeling stupid for having let himself go into autopilot and saying those words to X. The red hunter wasn’t hurt that bad, it would just be sore for a bit until his hardware repaired itself. One night’s rest would do the trick, but already X was looking at him with a world’s worth of guilt. 

“It’ll be fine, you heard those younger hunters laugh all the time about tearing open their ass, it’s no---”

“.....I let this happen....”

Zero’s expression softened when he realized what was hurting his partner.

“Yes. I’ve messed up, too. That’s perfectly normal. I’m pretty sure I’ve done worse to you...and you don’t hold it against me, for whatever reason.”

“...”

“Come here, don’t make me say it again that I want you here with me.”

X looked at him in disbelief before laughing lightly. 

“...You never said that tonight.”

Zero pretended to be angry, feeling relief that X wasn’t upset anymore.

“I’m saying it now! Get your ass over here already before I change my mind, this is aftercare!”

Not needing to be told twice, X quickly went back to his partner’s side. Once they were laying next to each other, he let the taller android hug him against his chest. 

“X….if you really wanted to, I’d be alright with going again---”

He chuckled when he heard the smaller android protesting in his grip.

“Absolutely not! Do you want to make it worse? We don’t need to do anything for weeks, months even! I’ll go back down there and see if my hardware can handle getting one of the newer models in case you never want me to------mmmph!”

X’s face was being crushed by Zero’s forearms into his skin. 

“There’s nothing you could do that I wouldn’t forgive you for…”

“..............”

“That’s a promise. Now get some rest, I’m exhausted.”

X pulled his arms away just enough so he could talk to his partner one more time before passing out.

“I love you, Zero.”

Somehow he held the shorter hunter closer than before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Very odd realm of territory to cross into thinking about how a robot that has feelings would react to certain scenarios. Slightly concerning having that one npc in Command Mission having to flat out tell you to get out before she puts her body into ‘sleep’. I take it unless it’s those capsules at H.Q, the maintenance beds aren’t the most secure place to rest. Then of course, there’s the shady background story in X5 that might make Zero hesitant around certain characters...
> 
> At least he seemed to handle pretty well the first time he woke up and he was suddenly a lot taller and powerful. Stronger arms may have been designed to deflect X’s charged shots but Zero made the decision instead to use them to hug him with.


End file.
